New Delhi, Apr 27 (IANS): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Wednesday that it has arrested three persons named Izhar Hussain Jafri, Ali Abbas Jafri and Ravi Prakash Gupta in connection with an SC/ST scholarship scam case.

The ED had recently attached an immovable property worth Rs 5.62 crore in the form of land and a building in Haridwar district, which belonged to Seth Bialy Prasad Jain Educational Trust, which runs the Phonics Group of Institutions in Roorkee, in connection with the case.

The ED initiated the investigation under PMLA based on the FIR registered by Haridwar Police, Uttarakhand, under various sections of the IPC.

During the course of investigation, it was learnt that Phonics Group of Institutions, Roorkee, had fraudulently received huge amount of scholarship in the name of SC/ST students from Social Welfare Department, Haridwar, for the period 2011-12 to 2014-2015.

"The institution had made false claims to obtain scholarship under SC/ST scholarship scheme which has been embezzled, siphoned off by Phonics Group of Institutions, Roorkee, run by Seth Bimal Prasad Jain Educational Trust through its trustees, and caused huge financial loss to the public exchequer with wrongful gain to themselves," said an ED official.

Investigation under PMLA revealed that this ill-gotten money was further diverted to either the bank accounts of Seth Bimal Prasad Jain Educational Trust or to other accounts of the college, utilised for the expenses of the trust and withdrawn in cash.

Property worth Rs 1.45 crore in the nature of land situated in Haridwar belonging to Wali Gram Udhyog Vikas Sansthan, Roorkee, which runs Techword Wali Gram Udhyog Vikas Sansthan, Group of Institutions, Roorkee, has also been attached earlier in the SC/ST scholarship scam case.

Total attachment in this case till date is Rs 7.07 crore. Further investigation in the matter is underway.