A 20-year-old computer engineering student from Government Polytechnic College in Hamirpur was allegedly duped by fraudulent emails into believing that he had secured a ₹3.5 crore grant linked to the Ministry of Defence for developing an indigenous drone, prompting him to register a startup and begin financial formalities before the deception came to light.
The student, Sarvesh Sharma, reportedly spent more than a month believing that his project had been selected under the Innovations for Defence Excellence, or iDEX, initiative. During that period, he registered a startup named Rudra Edge, began the process of obtaining a PAN card and opened a joint bank account with his mother.
The alleged fraud came to light on October 27, when Sarvesh began suspecting that the communications he had been receiving were not genuine. Police later registered an FIR on allegations of cheating, impersonation and forgery after the college principal filed a complaint.
Sarvesh is currently undergoing treatment at PGIMER, Chandigarh, after suffering multiple fractures in his jaw and legs following a fall from the third floor of the hostel building.
Student Believed ₹3.5 Crore Defence Grant Had Been Approved
Sarvesh had started exploring the iDEX website in August and applied under an individual category.
According to the information available, he received his first communication on September 21. A purported grant sanction letter subsequently asked him to complete documentation within 20 days.
Believing the communication to be authentic, Sarvesh registered Rudra Edge in Hamirpur in September.
He reportedly told faculty members that the proposed grant would be released in phases in the startup’s name and began exploring the possibility of hiring fellow students for the project.
The student also opened a joint bank account with his mother as part of the preparations linked to the proposed grant.
On October 15, the institute received communications, including an email purportedly linked to the National Informatics Centre, seeking Sarvesh’s contact details.
By October 27, however, Sarvesh had begun to suspect that he may have been cheated and reportedly wrote back to the email address from which he had been receiving the communications.
Family Questions How College Handled the Matter
After the alleged fraud became public, Sarvesh’s family questioned the manner in which the institute handled the episode.
His mother, Kalpana, said the college management should have informed the family before publicly announcing that a project had been allotted to Sarvesh.
She said the publicity surrounding the supposed grant had increased pressure on her son.
The family also said Sarvesh had registered the startup and opened the bank account with the knowledge and assistance of people associated with the institute.
His uncle, Vijay Kumar, described Sarvesh as a bright student who had received several awards and was partly funding his own education through his earnings.
The family also questioned why the official iDEX website displayed an under-maintenance message after the controversy emerged.
College principal Chandersekhar, however, said Sarvesh had not shared all details of the communications with the institute.
According to the principal, Sarvesh had shown a few screenshots of exchanges with purported iDEX representatives and said he had been told not to disclose further information.
Some of those screenshots allegedly carried the name and signature of a person named Vivek, whose name was also listed on the Defence Innovation Organisation website.
The institute, however, could not independently confirm whether the person communicating with Sarvesh was genuine.
iDEX Denies Releasing Any ₹3.5 Crore Grant
An iDEX official in Delhi said no ₹3.5 crore grant had been released under any such project.
The official said existing iDEX programmes provide different grant limits, including ₹1.5 crore under the Defence India Start-up Challenge and iDEX Open Challenge, while the ADITI programme provides for grants of up to ₹25 crore.
The official also said the iDEX website had been unavailable for several days due to multiple reasons, including complaints related to hacking.
The organisation had already clarified through its official social media account that no ₹3.5 crore grant had been released in the manner claimed in the communications received by Sarvesh.
Hamirpur SSP Balbir Singh said the matter remains under investigation.
Police are collecting relevant documents from the college and are expected to speak to Sarvesh once his medical condition allows.
The case now centres on identifying who created and sent the allegedly fraudulent communications, how the supposed grant documents were made to appear authentic, and whether the same method was used to target others.
The episode also highlights the risks created by sophisticated impersonation frauds in which official names, websites and institutional references are allegedly used to build credibility and convince victims that fake opportunities are genuine.
About the author — Suvedita Nath is a science student with a growing interest in cybercrime and digital safety. She writes on online activity, cyber threats, and technology-driven risks. Her work focuses on clarity, accuracy, and public awareness.
