Kolkata, May 6 (UNI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday began fresh search operations at several locations in the city in connection with alleged irregularities in private medical college admissions under the Non-Resident Indian (NRI) quota, official sources said.

The Kolkata bureau of the federal agency started the search operations from early in the morning at New Town, Kareya and Ballygunge and some other places into the offices and houses of middlemen, who allegedly minted money by facilitating aspirant students into MBBS in different private medical institutions, sources added.

The ED officials had assembled at the CGO office early in the morning and fanned out in different groups along with the Central armed forces.

They said CRPF jawans were seen guarding around the search operation locations of alleged middlemen, who were involved in the NRI quota admission process against huge sum of money into the private medical colleges.

Sources said the ED’s investigation was triggered by a complaint lodged at a police station in the northern outskirts of Kolkata.

The complaint alleged that fake NRI certificates were being used to secure admissions under the reserved quota in several private medical colleges.

These fraudulent activities allowed ineligible candidates to obtain seats under the NRI quota despite not being NRIs.

UNI PC PRS