Ahmedabad, August 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A Physical Training Instructor (PTI) associated with Gujarat College has been arrested in Kutch district for allegedly taking money from students after promising to help them secure jobs in the Indian Air Force and gain selection in state-level cricket teams, police said on Saturday.
The accused, identified as 41-year-old Pragnesh Barhat, was arrested in Anjar around 4.30 p.m. on Friday in connection with a case registered at Ellisbridge Police Station.
According to police, Barhat allegedly built relationships with around 20 students while working as a PTI at Gujarat College and subsequently collected money from them by claiming that he could arrange employment and sports opportunities.
Investigators have so far traced transactions totalling around Rs 4.48 lakh involving students allegedly affected by the scheme.
Police said Barhat allegedly used 10 mobile phone numbers and changed around seven handsets in an attempt to evade detection.
The Surveillance Squad of the police station traced his movements and located him in Anjar. The operation was supervised by Police Inspector K.M. Bhuva, with PSI P.B. Chaudhary, in-charge of the Surveillance Squad, and other personnel involved in the investigation and arrest.
Police booked Barhat under Section 316(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and subsequently obtained his remand for further investigation.
Investigators are examining financial transactions linked to the case and are also trying to determine whether additional students were approached or allegedly defrauded.
Police records indicate that the accused has previously faced cases at B-Division Police Station in Rajkot City, Infocity Police Station in Gandhinagar, Nakhatrana Police Station in Kutch and Gandhigram-2 University Police Station in Rajkot. The cases involve allegations of cheating and related offences under various provisions of the BNS.
Police said Barhat has studied up to the PhD level and has cleared the National Eligibility Test (NET) and Gujarat State Eligibility Test (GSET).
The latest arrest followed directions to police to trace habitual offenders involved in cheating and breach-of-trust cases. Further investigation into the allegations is underway.
FOLLOW NOW
