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The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Bengaluru Zonal Office, carried out search operations at 17 locations across the city on June 25 and 26 in connection with a seat blocking scam involving private engineering colleges.
According to news agency ANI, the raids were conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, the agency said in a statement issued on Saturday.
The search operations targeted the premises of prominent institutions including BMS College of Engineering, Akash Institute of Engineering and Technology, and New Horizon College of Engineering, as well as individuals associated with these colleges. Raids were also conducted at several educational consultancy firms and private agents suspected to be part of the scam, the report added.
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According to the ED, investigators recovered a significant amount of incriminating documents and digital devices during the searches. Preliminary findings indicate large-scale irregularities in the admission process to professional courses under the management quota, where cash and other extraneous considerations allegedly played a key role.
Officials say a network of agents and consultancy services facilitated seat blocking, drawing students from across India under the guise of legitimate admissions. The admissions under management quota were said to be conducted in a non-transparent and unregulated manner.
The ED also seized approximately ₹1.37 crore in cash, identified as Proceeds of Crime, during the raids.
The investigation was launched after an FIR filed by the Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) against the involved colleges and unknown individuals under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). According to the FIR, the accused institutions allegedly obtained KEA login credentials of registered students and used them to block seats in the names of students who had no intention of enrolling, thus manipulating the seat allotment process.
The ED confirmed that the investigation is still underway and further findings will be shared in due course.
(With PTI inputs)
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