The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has initiated searches on nine medical colleges across Telangana, where Post Graduate (PG) medical seats were blocked last year, to investigate potential money laundering related to the blocking of those seats. The searches carried out at 16 locations included complexes owned by the management of different colleges as well as the offices and residences of the college owners. The ED officials, with the assistance of CRPF personnel, locked the main gates of the colleges during the searches. According to sources, mobile phones and important documents were seized during the operation.
Last year, the Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS) filed a complaint with the Medical Council of India (MCI) regarding the blocking of PG medical seats by merit students. The university had recommended action against the medical colleges involved. The Mattewada police in Warangal district had also registered a case against the students responsible for blocking the seats. However, there hasn’t been significant progress in the case thus far.
The modus operandi involved merit students or their agents from States such as Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and others, who would not join the course but instead, the management of private medical colleges would allot these blocked seats to other students for a significant sum ranging from Rs 1 crore to Rs 3 crore per seat. Last year, the KNRUHS identified approximately 25 private medical colleges involved in this illegal money-making activity through an agent-student nexus.
Despite the Mattewada police registering a case under Sections 417 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code last year and forming special teams to investigate the matter, significant progress has been challenging. The insufficient evidence provided by the university and the inability to trace the accused using available phone numbers or emails were cited as reasons for the slow progress in the investigation.
It should be noted that the Mattewada police were unaware of the recent ED raids on the medical colleges. The ED initiated the searches based on a case registered by the Mattewada police in Warangal district in 2022, and the searches were conducted in Warangal, Mahbubnagar, Sangareddy, Karimnagar and Hyderabad.
These searches aim to uncover the truth behind blocking PG medical seats and potential money laundering, which will help to curb the malpractice in the education sector. The authorities should take strict action against the individuals involved and ensure that medical admissions are available only to deserving candidates, without any monetary influence.
