Kuala Lumpur - They had forked out a total of RM3 million to agents who promised their children a place at Manipal University in India.

But it turned out to be an expensive lesson when their children were denied admission to the university.

The 23 students who went to India were shocked to find that there were no records of their admission and their acceptance letters, which carried the university's letterhead, were fakes. They were among 52 students who had paid their admission fees in full to the agents.

According to the university, the signatory of the acceptance letter, who claimed to be the "registrar of admissions", did not exist.

The university also said that it had not appointed any agent in Malaysia to recruit students.

Realising that they had been duped, the parents lodged police reports and yesterday, sought the help of MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong.

Among them was M. Parumal, 60, whose 21-year-old son was among those who had gone to India in September expecting to enrol at Manipal University.

Parumal said at a press conference that the parents lost all the money they had saved for their children's education.

Most had paid the agents between RM50,000 and RM200,000. The money was from their savings, Employees Provident Fund contributions and bank loans.

The agents, however, claimed that they were victims, too. They claimed that they were only sub-agents and alleged that the main culprit was a textile businessman from Ipoh.

They said the businessman was the main recruitment agent for Manipal University. Two of the sub-agents were at the press conference.

The parents had first noticed the advertisements in English and Tamil dailies offering a chance to study at Manipal University.

As the places offered were on a first-come-first-served basis, they rushed to pay the fees.

Chong advised students and parents to check the authenticity of any offers before paying the money.