A 24-year-old man from Gurugram has been arrested for allegedly cheating a management student of ₹24.6 lakh by posing as a student counsellor. During questioning, the accused reportedly told police that he had taken inspiration from Vikrant Massey’s cybercriminal character in the streaming series Pritam and Pedro.
The accused, identified as Alok K, allegedly contacted the 21-year-old student after he enrolled in a distance-learning MBA programme in finance in January 2026. The two later met at a cafe in Juhu, where Alok reportedly helped him complete certain admission formalities and gained his trust.
Police said the accused had previously worked at a call centre that handled admissions and counselling for the management institute. He allegedly obtained the student’s contact information from the call centre’s database.
The reported fraud began during the student’s online examinations in June. An alert appeared on his screen claiming that copying had been detected. After the student denied using unfair means, a similar warning allegedly appeared during another examination, following which the application crashed.
Alok reportedly warned the student that he could be debarred, blacklisted and prevented from gaining admission to another university. He then allegedly offered to resolve the issue in exchange for money, while promising to return the amount if he was unsuccessful.
Fearing damage to his academic future, the student allegedly transferred ₹24.6 lakh in several instalments. However, only ₹1.15 lakh was reportedly returned. The student later passed the examination, but Alok allegedly continued demanding additional payments.
After realising that he may have been deceived, the student informed his parents and approached the Bangur Nagar police. Investigators examined phone records and financial transactions before tracing the accused to Gurugram.
Alok was arrested on September 11, and two mobile phones were reportedly seized from him. Police said he claimed to have been influenced by Martin, the antagonist played by Vikrant Massey in Pritam and Pedro, and allegedly planned to use impersonation and social engineering while attempting to erase his digital trail.
The case remains under investigation.