Man claiming to be UGC chairman demands over ₹20 lakh from Gujarat University colleges, FIR filed

A major scam has surfaced in Gujarat, where a conman allegedly posed as chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and demanded lakhs of rupees from several higher education institutions.

According to reports, the fraudster first called the vice-chancellor of Gujarat University, claiming to be UGC chairman M Jagadesh Kumar (he retired in April this year) , seeking details of various college trustees. Based on this information, the caller then contacted the trustees of multiple colleges and demanded payments ranging from ₹20 lakh to ₹40 lakh.

However, some trustees later informed the vice-chancellor that they had received suspicious calls demanding large sums of money, exposing the fraud.

UGC Chairman Vineet Joshi confirmed the incident and said he immediately ordered the filing of an FIR. He also directed that a circular be sent to all universities and colleges to remain on high alert. An official advisory has been posted on the UGC website and emailed to institutions, emphasising that the UGC communicates only through official email IDs and not through personal phone calls.

This is not the first time such fraudulent calls have targeted educational institutions. Similar scams have been reported earlier involving the National Medical Commission and other councils. Authorities are now investigating who was behind the latest attempt and how the calls were made.