Engineering Seat Scam: ED Raids 18 Locations in Bengaluru, Targets Top Colleges

Suspense crime, Digital Desk : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has launched a massive crackdown on a sophisticated "seat-blocking" scam in Bengaluru, conducting simultaneous raids at 18 locations across the city. The raids targeted prominent private colleges, the residences of their chairmen and trustees, and the offices of agents allegedly involved in the widespread corruption scheme.The investigation focuses on a complex money laundering operation tied to engineering admissions. The scam allegedly involves bribing high-ranking students from entrance exams like COMEDK to temporarily "block" coveted seats in top engineering colleges during the initial counseling rounds.According to officials, these top-ranking students would then deliberately fail to show up for the final admission process, causing the blocked merit seats to become vacant. This is where the college management would allegedly step in, illegally converting these merit seats into "management quota" seats. These seats were then "sold" to students with lower ranks at exorbitant prices, generating huge sums of unaccounted cash.The ED's involvement centers on the financial trail. The agency is investigating how this illicit money was laundered and concealed through various channels. The raids were aimed at seizing incriminating documents, digital evidence, and financial records that could expose the full extent of the money laundering network.This major operation by the central agency follows an initial case registered by the Bengaluru Central Crime Branch (CCB), which first uncovered the admission racket. The ED's intervention signifies a deeper probe into the financial crimes underpinning the corruption in the education sector.