- By Ritesh Kumar
- Sun, 17 Sep 2023 10:33 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has started a thorough examination of the records of 161 colleges throughout the UP state regarding the misappropriation of funds earmarked for student scholarships under diverse central and state government schemes. According to the media reports, the ongoing investigation into the scholarship scam is amounting to Rs 500 crore.
According to the media reports, the Hygia Group of colleges has been subject to scrutiny by the ED, resulting in the arrest of four persons Vikram Nag, Izhar Hussain Jafri, Ali Abbas Jafri, and Ravi Prakash Gupta in connection with the scholarship scam.
Vikram Nag, an internationally recognised cricketer with a disability, had been orchestrating the enrollment of students to secure scholarships designated for the disabled and subsequently facilitating their admission to colleges. The ED initiated a case in February of this year and conducted raids on 10 educational institutions associated with the Hygia group as per the media reports.
The ED is conducting an investigation into 161 colleges across the state (Image: ANI)
During these operations, the central agency seized vital pieces of evidence from these 10 institutes, as well as several other colleges implicated in the scam. The investigation uncovered that the individuals who were arrested not only oversaw the bank accounts of scholarship recipients but also unlawfully held onto their ATM cards and phone numbers for the purpose of transferring and withdrawing scholarship funds.
The ED is conducting an investigation into 161 colleges situated across Lucknow, Sitapur, Unnao, Hardoi, Barabanki, Farrukhabad, Varanasi, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, and other cities. The scrutiny encompasses the examination of data pertaining to candidates who have availed scholarships in these colleges.