Bengaluru, Jan 24 (IANS) The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Bengaluru Zonal Office, has provisionally attached three immovable properties — one plot and two flats — having a market value of Rs 19.46 crore under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, belonging to trustees of the BMS Educational Trust, the agency said in an official statement on Saturday.

The attachment is part of the ED’s probe into the alleged seat-blocking scam involving admissions to engineering colleges run by the BMS Educational Trust.

The ED further stated that additional evidence had been seized indicating the collection of unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 20.20 crore from the sale of engineering seats in colleges controlled by the trust.

“The evidence collected includes diary notings, WhatsApp chats and other material, which have been confirmed by individuals involved in the process, including college staff, management personnel and agents,” the ED said.

According to the agency, the investigation revealed that the unaccounted cash generated from the sale of engineering seats was allegedly used for the personal benefit of the trustees of the BMS Educational Trust.

The ED initiated its investigation on the basis of FIRs registered by the Malleshwaram Police Station and the Hanumanthnagar Police Station in Bengaluru in connection with the seat-blocking scam involving admissions to engineering courses through the Karnataka Examination Authority and the alleged collection of cash over and above the prescribed fees.

Searches in the case were carried out by the ED in June 2025 and on May 26, 2025. During the searches, the agency found that unaccounted cash was allegedly being collected during the admission process over and above the stipulated fees in engineering colleges run by the BMS Educational Trust.

The searches also revealed that engineering seats in colleges controlled by the trust were allegedly sold by the management through middlemen and agents. Cash was collected both directly from students and through agents acting as educational consultants, the ED said.

The agency added that the cash so collected was not disclosed in the books of accounts of the BMS Educational Trust. Searches conducted by the ED resulted in the seizure of Rs 1.86 crore from premises belonging to trustees, management members and agents associated with the trust.

Further investigation in the matter is under way, the ED said.

–IANS

mka/pgh