VIJAYAWADA: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials on Saturday arrested the top brass of Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (KLEF) and members of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) inspection team in connection with a bribery case. In an official statement, the CBI confirmed that a case had been registered against the office bearers of the educational institution as well as the NAAC inspection team members. The allegations involve offering undue advantages to public servants in exchange for favourable NAAC ratings, specifically for A++ accreditation.
The investigation agency also conducted searches at 20 locations across various cities, including Vijayawada, Chennai, Bengaluru, Palamu, Sambalpur, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Gautam Buddh Nagar, and New Delhi.
During these searches, the CBI sleuths seized Rs 37 lakh cash, six laptops, one mobile phone, and other incriminating documents.
KLEF Vice-Chancellor GP Saradhi Varma, Vice-President Koneru Raja Hareen, Director of KL University (Hyderabad Campus) A Ramakrishna, NAAC Inspection Committee Chairman and Vice-Chancellor of Ramchandra Chandravansi University Samarendra Nath Saha, Member Coordinator and Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University Rajeev Sijariya, NAAC Inspection Committee Member and Dean at Bharath Institute of Law Dr D Gopal were arrested the by CBI on Saturday. Other NAAC inspection members including Rajesh Singh Pawar, Manas Kumar Mishra, Gayathri Devaraj, and Dr Bulu Maharana were also arrested.
The agency stated that a total of 14 individuals are involved in the case, and confirmed that a investigation is underway to uncover the full extent of the crime and identify others involved.