Jharsuguda: Police have busted a fake BEd admission racket with the arrest of two persons accused of cheating aspiring teachers by promising seats in colleges in Andhra Pradesh.
The accused, identified as Chittaranjan Barik and his associate Reema Barik, both hailing from Sambalpur, allegedly operated the scam under the banner of ‘One World Academy’. They targeted students seeking BEd admissions, claiming they could secure seats through informal channels in institutions such as Seven Hills BEd College and Ramalakshmi College of Education in Guntur district. For each candidate, the duo reportedly collected between ₹25,000 and ₹30,000 as fees or commission.
According to police, the academy was originally set up a few years ago by Barik along with two others, Alok Kumar Patra and Sangram Kesari, to help students gain admission to B.Ed programmes outside Odisha. However, once his partners stepped back, Barik allegedly continued the operation solo, promising non-existent distance-mode admissions at Seven Hills BEd College and issuing forged documents to convince victims that their seats had been confirmed.
Jharsuguda SP GR Raghavendra stated that the scam came to light when the first-semester examinations at Seven Hills College were set to begin on Monday, and the accused could not provide the necessary documents or information for students to appear. Following which, a woman victim lodged a complaint.
The SP emphasised that BEd is a strictly regulated regular programme under the norms of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) and concerned universities, with no provision for distance-mode courses in the manner claimed by the accused. “Students and parents must verify the recognition and affiliation of institutes with NCTE and the universities concerned before paying any fees or committing to admissions,” he said.
While seven victims have been identified following a preliminary investigation, over 300 aspirants in western Odisha are suspected to have been trapped in the scam. “Further investigation is underway to identify all the victims,” the SP added.
Police, however, clarified that no evidence has emerged so far linking the other two original partners of One World Academy to the fraudulent activities.
