Engineering seat blocking scam: Bengaluru police arrest 10, including KEA officer

After the second round of seat allotment, these government quota seats, which were deliberately left vacant, were allegedly converted into management quota seats. This enabled private colleges to charge higher fees from lower-ranked candidates, as per the allegation, depriving deserving students of affordable education.

The KEA had warned candidates to carefully select colleges during the seat allotment process and join their allotted institutions without fail. Despite these advisories, 2,625 candidates did not join their allocated colleges, creating a loophole allegedly exploited by private colleges and middlemen.

KEA officer Avinash and others identified as Sri Harsha, Prakash, Ravishankar, Puneet, Naushad, and Alam are among the accused arrested for their alleged involvement in rigging the engineering counselling process.

A senior police officer said, “Harsha operated a counselling centre in Dollars Colony and collaborated with Avinash to access information on candidates who did not attend counselling sessions. This information was then exploited by Prakash, Puneet, and Ravishankar, who manipulated the seat matrix in connivance with private college representatives. Seats were illegally blocked in exchange for bribes ranging from Rs 2-3 lakh, facilitated by middlemen Naushad and Alam. The group used this fraudulent system to benefit private colleges financially, depriving eligible candidates of their rightful opportunities.”

Students forced to choose BSc instead of engineering due to the scam

The police said the gang coordinated its operations from lodges spread across multiple cities in Karnataka, ensuring a wide reach for its illicit activities. Investigations are ongoing to determine the malpractice’s extent and identify others who might be involved. The police also said that as a result of the seat-blocking scam, several students ended up taking BSc instead of engineering.

The police investigation began after the KEA reported unauthorised entries in its seat allotment portal. By tracking IP addresses, the police traced the suspects and arrested four from the Majestic bus station on November 28. Interrogations revealed the involvement of more accomplices.

One suspect was arrested from near the Devanahalli bus stand and presented in court on November 29, where he was remanded in 10 days of police custody. Another key suspect, an employee of the KEA, was apprehended near the KEA office in Malleswaram. He confessed to sharing candidate credentials with the other accused.

During the investigation, the police recovered 13 mobile phones, three laptops (partially destroyed but retrieved through forensic analysis) and several incriminating documents. The laptops contained evidence of unauthorised logins and communications with private colleges.

The KEA had issued show-cause notices to 2,625 candidates who failed to join their allocated colleges, suspecting collusion with private colleges. The alleged scam has deprived deserving students of affordable government quota seats, forcing many to either pay exorbitant fees or forego their education.

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