Mangaluru: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Mangalore sub zonal office, has provisionally attached two immovable properties and several movable properties amounting to approximately Rs 5.8 crore, under the provisions of the prevention of money laundering act (PMLA), 2002, stated a release.This was in connection with the Mahadevappa Rampure Medical College stipend scam. The immovable properties attached were allegedly acquired by the main accused, Bhimashankar Bilgundi, in the names of his sons Rajkumar Bilgundi and Santosh Bilgundi, using the proceeds of the alleged crime.The ED initiated an investigation based on an FIR registered by Kalaburagi City CEN crime police, under various sections of IPC, 1860, against Bheemashankar Bilgundi, Dr SM Patil, Canara Bank manager Subash, and others.The investigation under PMLA, 2002, was conducted under section 17 during April and May and subsequent enquiries revealed that the main accused, Bhimashankar Bilgundi, the then president of Hyderabad Education Society which manages MRMC, with the assistance of MRMC accountant, Subashchandra Jagannath, and Mallanna (office superintendent of HKE society), during the period between 2018 and 2024, allegedly siphoned off stipend funds credited to the bank accounts of PG medical students of MRMC to the tune of approximately Rs 33.3 crore. This was allegedly done by collecting blank signed cheques from them at the time of their admission, and encashing the same, thereby depriving students of their entitled stipend.Further, during the check period, Bhimashankar Bilgundi purchased two immovable properties in the names of his sons, Rajkumar Bilgundi and Santosh Bilgundi, by paying a huge cash consideration amounting to Rs 5.8 crore to Madhusudan Malu, through an intermediary named Shantappa Patil, without any legitimate source of income, leading to the attachment of said properties, stated the release.Further investigation is ongoing.
