The Directorate of Enforcement made three arrests related to a scholarship scam: Izhar Hussain Jafri, Ali Abbas Jafri, and Ravi Prakash Gupta. In this case, the ED conducted raids on 10 educational institutions in various districts of Uttar Pradesh on February 16, 2023, and they seized crucial evidence of the offence committed not only by these 10 institutions but also by a number of other colleges and institutions that were, based on initial findings, also found to be involved in the scam.
Following an inquiry by the ED, it was discovered that these individuals were running the scam for the Hygia Group of Colleges and had unlawfully secured scholarship monies using the Aadhar and bank information of non-eligible individuals posing as students. Many of the aforementioned pupils were discovered to have taken advantage of such schemes under their names while not even being aware of it.
In a plot involving FINO payment bank agents, Ravi Prakash Gupta, Izhar Hussain Jafri, and Ali Abbas Jafri transferred scholarship cash from students’ accounts to the bank accounts of the Hygiagroup of colleges and other people and institutions. In the course of the investigation, it was also discovered that Izhar Hussain Jafri, Ali Abbas Jafri, and Ravi Prakash Gupta illegally used the user IDs and passwords of FINO agents and their micro ATM machines for the transfer and withdrawal of the scholarship funds in cash from the bank accounts of the beneficiary students.
These individuals not only controlled the beneficiary students’ bank accounts in FINO bank accounts and illegally kept their ATM cards, phone numbers, etc. for cash transfers and withdrawals of scholarship payments from students’ bank accounts at numerous places.
The scholarship money was sent directly into the accounts of the students, but the arrestees disregarded all of the system’s security measures. Investigations revealed that the people who were arrested are actual recipients of criminal proceeds. The Honourable Special Court was happy to award 05 days of ED detention to all of these detained individuals. The probe is being expanded upon.
