Himachal Pradesh Scholarship Scam: ED Attaches Assets Worth Rs 18 Crore

The Enforcement Directorate has attached over Rs 18 crore in assets from a Himachal Pradesh educational institute linked to a scholarship scam. The Maa Saraswati Educational Trust and its trustees are implicated for alleged money laundering through false student data under state scholarship schemes.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached land and flats valued at more than Rs 18 crore, belonging to a Himachal Pradesh educational institute and its promoters, following a money laundering investigation related to a scholarship scam in the state.

This action targets the Maa Saraswati Educational Trust, operators of the Himalayan Group of Professional Institutions in Sirmaur district, after a CBI inquiry revealed alleged irregularities in scholarship disbursements under state scholarship schemes for OBC, SC, and ST students.

The inquiry by the ED has led to the arrest of six individuals so far. The investigation indicates that the institutes involved received government scholarship funds by submitting false student details, thereby gaining financial benefits fraudulently. The ED continues to probe the assets linked to this scam, which now total nearly Rs 29 crore.