Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (MS)
Bengaluru, Feb 19: Income Tax (IT) department has disclosed that some medical colleges of the state have amassed illegal income of Rs 402.78 crore through blocking of medical seats that were meant for high ranking students.
On Wednesday and Thursday, IT sleuths raided around 56 facilities at Bengaluru and Mangaluru, belonging to the trustees, owners of colleges, residence of directors and offices of private medical colleges and confiscated crore of rupees worth of gold, illegal properties held overseas, documents proving commercial business in the name of educational institute. Rupees 30 crore worth golden ornaments weighing 81 kg, Rs 15.09 crore cash, 50 carat diamond, 40 kg of silver, benami property worth Rs 2.39 crore and 35 luxury cars bought in benami names were confiscated by the IT department.
The IT sleuths also unearthed Rs 402.78 crore illegal income that these colleges collected in the form of donations. IT officials also confirmed that they have got enough records to prove that the accused institutions and people have cheated the IT department of a huge amount of taxes by not declaring the massive income they have earned.
The seats were blocked for students who secured high ranks in the entrance exams and later the same were sold to low rank students for high price. It is confirmed that this type of seat allotment has taken place in admission to MBBS, dental medical and PG medical courses. The IT sleuths have confiscated the note books, dairies and excel sheets which contain information for having collected cash from students. It is detected that the huge amounts that are collected in this manner are invested in immovable properties.
In one of the institutes, the IT sleuths have detected a 'Package' system to get the students, who secured seats under the administrative board or management quota, to pass the examination. This package rate involved rates from Rs one lac to Rs two lac. The department has also disclosed that the records relating to this system in which the students who paid this amount were passed in written and oral examinations.