Kerala admission scam: ED attaches Rs 95.25 lakh worth bank deposits of medical college

NEW DELHI: Bank deposits worth Rs 95.25 lakh of a Kerala-based medical college have been attached under the anti-money laundering law in a case linked to the alleged duping of parents by promising admission to their children, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said Tuesday.

The action has been taken against Dr SM CSI Medical College at Karakonam in Thiruvananthapuram district, it said in a statement. The money laundering case against the medical colleges and its promoters stems from multiple FIRs filed by the Kerala Police.

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A probe found that funds were collected from parents on the pretext of giving admission to their wards in the Dr SM CSI Medical College, the Enforcement Directorate said. "However, admissions were not given even after taking money," it alleged. A part of the said cash was used for developing the infrastructure of the medical college and the remaining amount was "diverted" to the parent organisation -- the South Kerala Diocese (SKD), the agency said.

The federal probe agency said, "Bennet Abraham and A Dharmaraj Rasalam had by the commission of the scheduled offence, derived or obtained the proceeds of crime totalling Rs 95,25,000." However, the ED said, as the "proceeds of crime" generated by Abraham and A Dharmaraj Rasalam through the college were exhausted and were not available for attachment, an equivalent amount from the bank account of the college has been provisionally attached after a provisional order was issued on Tuesday under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.