Gurgaon: The principal of a private school in Sector 9B has been arrested for allegedly cheating students by falsely claiming CBSE affiliation and admitting them to Class 10.Riddhima Kataria was arrested by the crime branch from Ahmedabad on April 18. The school’s chairman, Vinay Kataria, had already been arrested in the case.An FIR was registered at Sector 9A police station under BNS Sections 318(4) (cheating), 316(2) (criminal breach of trust), and 3(5) (common intention) against the management and staff of Educrest International School.Police said the matter surfaced after a parent filed a complaint on Feb 18. She alleged her daughter, a Class 10 student, was prompted to take admission after being told that the school was affiliated with CBSE.According to the complaint, the school showed a recognition certificate and affiliation number during admission and collected fees under several heads, including tuition, building fund, examination, and computer charges. But when the board examinations approached, the student did not receive an admit card.“Subsequent verification revealed that the school didn’t have CBSE affiliation for Class 10 and the registration number provided was invalid. The student lost an academic year,” a police officer said.Besides the chairman and principal, vice-principal Simar Batra, coordinator Sonia, and other staff members were also named in the FIR.During questioning, Kataria told police that the school had CBSE recognition only up to Class 8, but admitted students to classes 9 and 10 using fake affiliation documents. “Around 25 students were enrolled in these classes, putting their academic future at risk,” the officer said.Investigators said an action would be taken in accordance with the law, and efforts were underway to determine the role of other staff members. Police also urged parents to verify a school’s affiliation status before seeking admission.
