The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has uncovered a large-scale admission scam in which thousands of students allegedly secured MBBS seats in private medical colleges using forged Non-Resident Indian (NRI) documents.
According to investigators, nearly 18,000 admissions were made under the NRI quota with the help of fake embassy certificates, fabricated family trees, and other fraudulent papers. The probe, carried out in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Indian embassies abroad, revealed that agents worked hand-in-hand with private medical colleges to prepare and recycle forged documents for multiple candidates.
ED officials said some genuine NRIs also participated in the racket, receiving money from agents in exchange for allowing their names to be misused as sponsors. Raids on several medical institutions led to the recovery of fake NRI certificates and notary stamps allegedly originating from the United States.
Under existing rules, tuition fees for NRI quota admissions must be paid by an NRI relative. However, the agency found that in most cases, fees were arranged by local agents or candidates’ families, not NRI sponsors.
The ED had earlier flagged the issue to state authorities in West Bengal and Odisha, but alleged that no action was taken despite “categorical proof of forgery” provided by the MEA. Last month, the agency provisionally attached a fixed deposit worth ₹6.42 crore belonging to a West Bengal medical college. In earlier rounds of the probe, assets worth over ₹12.33 crore linked to individuals and colleges were also seized.
Indian missions abroad have confirmed that many NRI sponsor certificates used for admissions were “not genuine,” further strengthening the ED’s case. The investigation is ongoing, and more attachments and prosecutions are expected in the coming weeks.
