CHENNAI: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has seized Rs 13.18 lakh in cash, frozen 56 bank accounts and two demat accounts, and recovered documents relating to 36 immovable properties with a guidance value of Rs 9.67 crore in connection with the 2017 Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB) Polytechnic Lecturers recruitment scam.
In a press release on Thursday the ED stated that the recoveries were made during searches conducted on Tuesday at 21 locations across Chennai, Madurai, Tiruchy and Coimbatore.
The searches were conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as part of an investigation into the alleged tampering of Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets in the recruitment examination. The ED alleged that marks of select candidates were illegally inflated by digitally altering scanned OMR sheets, resulting in 262 undeserving candidates being declared qualified.
The agency alleged that the accused collected Rs 14-16 lakh from candidates through a network of agents and middlemen and laundered the proceeds through proxy firms, mule bank accounts and accounts of associates before investing them in immovable properties and jewellery.
Besides cash, the ED seized records of cash collections, carbon copies of OMR sheets relating to various government examinations, copies of candidates' certificates and digital evidence. Further investigation is under way.
