ED seizes ₹6.42 Cr in Bengal NRI quota scam over fake embassy docs, ghost sponsors

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized fixed deposits worth ₹6.42 crore in a case involving alleged irregularities in medical admissions under the NRI quota in private colleges across West Bengal and Odisha. The agency is investigating violations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with the admission of ineligible students to MBBS, MD, and MS courses.

The ED conducted searches at multiple locations, including private medical institutions, and collected several incriminating documents. Statements of persons linked to the colleges and agents were also recorded. The investigation revealed that fake NRI sponsorship documents were used to admit students under the NRI quota, bypassing the eligibility norms laid down by the Supreme Court.

According to the ED, some colleges, in coordination with intermediaries, created forged family records, NRI certificates, and documents purportedly issued by Indian embassies abroad. In several instances, the same NRI’s forged documents were submitted for multiple students to fulfill the mandatory requirement of NRI sponsorship on paper. Identities of unknown NRIs were purchased and misused for this purpose.

The agency stated that agents were paid by the colleges for preparing such documents. The Ministry of External Affairs had, in certain cases, informed the respective state government that the submitted NRI sponsorship claims were fraudulent. However, no official action was initiated at the local level following those communications.

The ED also confirmed that inputs received from Indian embassies and consulates abroad showed that several submitted NRI certificates were not genuine. Before this seizure, the agency had provisionally attached assets worth ₹12.33 crore belonging to individuals and institutions linked to the case. The names of the colleges involved have not been disclosed, as the investigation is still underway.