MBBS SCANDAL | ED attaches properties of Zafer Bhat, Qazi Yasir others

Srinagar, Jan 17: Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has provisionally attached properties worth Rs 5 crore approximately under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in the case of Muhammad Akbar Bhat and others concerning the terrorist activities.

The attached properties in the form of seven immovable properties and two bank accounts are in the name of various persons - Muhammad Akbar Bhat, Fatima Shah, Qazi Yasir, Muhammad Abdullah Shah, and Muhammad Iqbal Mir, and others in Jammu and Kashmir.

The ED initiated an investigation based on the FIR registered and chargesheet issued by J&K Police for the offences under various sections of the Unlawful Activity (Prevention) Act and IPC, 1860, against Muhammad Akbar Bhat, Fatima Shah, Altaf Ahmad Bhat, Qazi Yasir, Syed Khalid Geelani alias Khalid Andrabi, and others wherein the accused persons were hand-in-glove with Pakistan handlers who arranged admissions in MBBS and other course in the colleges of Pakistan for J&K students for a money of around Rs 10 to Rs 15 lakh per student.

The ED investigation revealed that the money was received in their accounts and in the bank accounts of Al-Jabar Trust which was a trust opened for charitable purposes.

However, these accounts were used to receive funds from the students and further ploughed into the terrorist activities in India in various ways like distributing money to stone pelters, providing money to the persons and terrorists based in J&K on the instructions of Pakistani handlers like Manzoor Ahmad Shah and Altaf Ahmad Bhat.

Further investigation is under progress.

In May 2022, the UAPA court framed charges against eight accused for selling Pakistani MBBS seats in J&K.

The case was registered on July 27, 2020, against unscrupulous persons who were hand-in-glove with some educational consultancies for arranging admissions of J&K residents in MBBS and other professional courses in various colleges, institutions, and universities in Pakistan.

A huge amount of money was received in place of such admissions from the parents of the students and the money so earned was ploughed into supporting terrorism in J&K.

During the investigation, searches in the houses of accused persons and at other places were undertaken by the sleuths of the State Investigation Agency (SIA) after obtaining search warrants from the court.

The documents and other material seized during the search were analysed and it was found that deposits in the bank accounts of accused persons were made on account of providing admissions in various technical and professional courses in Pakistan including MBBS.

It was established during the SIA investigation that a part of a larger conspiracy accused persons through different Kashmir-based consultancies without their knowledge used to motivate the parents of students aspiring for professional courses, especially for MBBS, to apply through these consultancies for such courses in Pakistan with the assurance of cost-effectiveness in comparison with other south Asian or Middle-East countries offering such courses.