ED Conducts Major Raids Across 15 Locations Nationwide, Exposes Medical College Racket

Indore: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out a massive operation on 27 November across 15 locations in India, exposing a widespread medical college racket involving government officials, agents, and university chancellors. The crackdown followed a CBI chargesheet that revealed collusion in accepting bribes in exchange for favorable inspection reports.

The raids spanned Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi-NCR. During the searches, the ED seized mobile phones, server data, and various other critical documents and evidence.

CBI Had Already Initiated Investigations
The Indore-based Index Medical College has been under scrutiny for some time. Earlier, the CBI conducted raids at the college, as well as at the residence and office of its director, Suresh Bhadoria. The ED’s action is based on an FIR registered by AC-III, CBI, New Delhi under BNS, 2023 and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

Allegations in the FIR
The FIR alleges that representatives of several private medical colleges, along with officials from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and some NMC officers, were leaking confidential inspection-related information. This information was reportedly used to manipulate inspection outcomes and secure approvals for courses.

Role of Middlemen
Investigations also revealed that intermediaries were facilitating bribes to inspectors, presenting fake faculty during inspections, and creating fraudulent patient records to meet regulatory standards. These tactics ensured that college evaluations were artificially favorable.

Colleges Targeted in the Raids
The ED raids targeted several colleges, including:

• Shri Rawatpura Sarkar Institute of Medical Sciences, Raipur
• Index Medical College, Indore
• Gayatri Medical College, Visakhapatnam
• Father Colombo Institute, Warangal
• Swaminarayan Institute, Kalol
• NCR Institute of Medical Sciences, Meerut
• Shyamlal Chandrashekhar Medical College, Khagaria

During the raids, officials seized mobile phones, server data, and digital records essential for ongoing investigations.

CBI’s Prior Action
Earlier, the CBI caught six accused accepting a bribe of ₹55 lakh at the Rawatpura Sarkar Medical Institute in Naya Raipur, Chhattisgarh. Simultaneously, the CBI had raided the residence and office of Suresh Bhadoria in Indore, seizing documents and records from Index Medical College. Bhadoria’s name had previously surfaced in the high-profile MP Vyapam scam, though he had not been arrested at that time.

The ED’s latest nationwide action marks a significant step in curbing corruption and illegal practices within the country’s private medical education sector.