Gurugram Resident Arrested After Copying Web Series Villain's Scam

A resident of Gurugram was arrested on September 11 after police linked his fraud scheme to the antagonist played by Vikrant Massey in the web series Pritam And Pedro. The accused, identified as Alok K, pretended to be a student counsellor and met a 21‑year‑old enrollee of a distance‑learning MBA (finance) program at a café in Juhu, Mumbai. He helped the student complete admission formalities, gaining the student’s trust. During an online exam the student received alerts that copying was detected; he called Alok and denied any cheating. A second alert caused the exam app to crash, and Alok again called, warning the student he would be debarred and blacklisted unless he paid money. Alok demanded a total of Rs 24.60 lakhs in installments, promising a refund if he could not deliver the promised service. The student paid the amount but received only Rs 1.15 lakhs back. After passing the exam, the student realized he had been conned, informed his parents, and filed a complaint at Bangur Nagar police station. Investigators traced Alok’s phone records and the money trail to Gurugram, seized two of his cellphones, and arrested him. Police said Alok had previously worked at a call centre contracted by the institute to handle admissions counselling, from where he obtained the victim’s phone number. In custody, Alok admitted he was inspired by the series’ villain and used social‑engineering and impersonation to deceive the student.