A wide-ranging investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has exposed a sprawling admission scam involving thousands of MBBS and postgraduate medical seats reserved under the NRI quota, reported TOI.
The inquiry, in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Indian missions abroad, revealed that private medical colleges facilitated admissions on nearly 18,000 undergraduate and postgraduate seats using fabricated documents and forged non-resident Indian (NRI) certificates.
Moreover, TOI also reported that the investigation has uncovered the involvement of some NRIs themselves. "The agents approached and obtained credentials of unrelated NRIs by paying money to them," noted the report.
Forged papers, fake family trees
According to officials cited in the report, ED raids in West Bengal and Odisha over recent months yielded hundreds of NRI certificates that were later sent to Indian embassies for authentication. Most were declared forged.
Investigators also found counterfeit notary seals purportedly from the United States, which were being used to validate these fake certificates.
The scam’s modus operandi included the creation of fake family trees to falsely establish student–NRI relationships. In several instances, the documents of a single NRI were reused for multiple unrelated candidates.
Agents working with the colleges reportedly managed these operations, connecting families desperate for medical seats with “sponsors” in exchange for hefty sums, the TOI report added. The promoters of several private medical colleges are alleged to have been directly involved, orchestrating the racket and generating large volumes of illicit money.
Guidelines tightened
The ED probe revealed that in most cases, fees were not paid by the purported NRI sponsor, as mandated, but by the student’s family, defeating the original purpose of the quota—which was to bring foreign exchange into India.
Oficials have also found glaring irregularities, such as affidavits signed and notarised on dates when the alleged NRI sponsors were not even present in the country.
In response, TOI reported that the Centre has overhauled the NRI admission policy.
The Directorate General of Health Services has mandated that every NRI certificate be verified by Indian embassies and missions before being considered valid for admission.
Parallelly, the MEA has issued fresh instructions to its missions abroad, directing stricter due diligence and clear definitions of which “first-degree” and “second-degree” relatives qualify for sponsorship under the NRI quota.
Source Name : Economic Times