ED attaches ₹12.33 crore in Bengal medical admission fraud

In a major crackdown on medical admission fraud, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Kolkata Zonal Office has provisionally attached bank balances worth ₹12.33 crore from two individuals and four private medical colleges in West Bengal. The action falls under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA).

The investigation was triggered by an FIR registered by the West Bengal Police, which prompted the ED to launch a probe into fraudulent admissions under the NRI quota. Subsequent searches were conducted at multiple premises of private medical colleges in West Bengal and Odisha, as well as the residences of key college officials and involved agents.

During the raids, the ED recovered fake documents, forged NRI certificates, and counterfeit stamps of notaries from the United States. Statements of trustees, agents, and college management were also recorded. The ED alleges that these colleges violated Supreme Court guidelines regarding NRI quota admissions, which mandate that only first or second-degree relatives can sponsor candidates.

The probe revealed that these private medical colleges colluded with agents to create and submit fake documents. Agents, working on behalf of the colleges, procured details of unrelated NRIs by paying them and used their credentials to falsely sponsor students. In some shocking instances, the same NRI documents were reused to admit multiple unrelated candidates.

These colleges allegedly charged ₹1–1.5 crore per MBBS seat and ₹3–4 crore for MD/MS seats under the NRI quota. Despite receiving specific information from the Ministry of External Affairs confirming forgery in some cases, local authorities failed to act, the ED has claimed.

So far, the ED has identified Proceeds of Crime worth ₹23.67 crore, and further investigation is ongoing. The case highlights a deep-rooted nexus between medical institutions, agents, and a wider document-forgery racket operating across state lines.