ED raids in 10 states in medical colleges inspection bribery case

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday conducted coordinated searches in ten states in a money laundering investigation linked to alleged bribery in granting academic sanctions to certain medical colleges to run courses, officials said.

At least 15 locations in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi are being covered.

These include seven premises of medical colleges and certain private persons. The action is being undertaken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the officials said.

The money laundering case stems from a June FIR of the CBI where it was alleged that bribes had been paid to government officials, including officials of the National Medical Commission (NMC) in lieu of disclosing confidential information pertaining to the inspection of medical colleges to the key managerial persons related to medical colleges and middlemen.

This allegedly enabled them to manipulate the parameters and obtain approval for running academic courses at the medical colleges, according to ED officials.