Action soon against med college using fake papers for NRI quota: Govt
The Statesman | 26 August 2025
Many private medical colleges, including several from West Bengal, have allegedly offered huge numbers of admissions in several thousands in the MBBS course under Non-Resident Indians (NRI) to students, who used fake documents.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) probing the irregularities has busted a country-wide racket that used fake documents to secure students’ admissions through the NRI quota system to private medical colleges.
Private medical colleges demand more than Rs 1.60 crore on an average from each candidate under NRI quota.
The ED in cooperation with the ministry of external affairs (MEA) and Indian embassies has revealed the racket.
According to the ED sources, it was found that these colleges allegedly paid the agents for preparing fake documents, like embassy documents of NRIs and fake family trees.
In most cases, the agents and medical colleges used the same set of documents for multiple candidates.
Some genuine NRI candidates were also involved in the racket, who were paid money by agents so that their names could be used. During raids on these colleges, the investigating agency recovered several fake NRI certificates and stamps of notary officers working in the US.
The central investigating agency sources said that considering the magnanimity of the racket it has already alerted several states like West Bengal and Odisha asking the administrations to take immediate actions to prevent the scam.
The West Bengal government administrations have not yet taken any necessary action against the concerned private medical colleges and ineligible candidates who have been admitted in the four-and-a-half year undergraduate medical course under NRI quota producing fake documents, the ED sources claimed, adding, “the MEA has also provided categorical information of forgery to the errant medical colleges and states.”
“A fixed deposit worth nearly Rs 6.5 crore of a private college in West Bengal was provisionally attached, according to the ED sources. It had earlier attached assets worth about Rs 12.35 crore of some colleges and individuals involved in these alleged irregularities.
“Despite categorical information of forgery in cases of certain NRI sponsors provided by the MEA, no action has been taken by concerned state authorities,” sources requesting anonymity claimed.
“Necessary action will be taken soon against the medical college,” N S Nigam, principal secretary in charge of health department in West Bengal told The Statesman on Monday.
When asked, Mr Nigam said, “I am not aware of the name of the college.”
According to the rules, the fees of the students taking admission through the NRI quota have to be paid by an NRI relative. However, ED’s investigation found that the fees in most cases were not paid by the NRI family members.