The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Shillong has provisionally attached assets worth Rs 20.28 crore of Chandra Mohan Jha, Chancellor of CMJ University and his family members in a case involving the issuance of fake degree certificates in return of money.
According to the ED, the assets were attached under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The attached assets include four immovable properties in New Delhi valued at Rs. 19.28 crore and movable property worth Rs. 1 crore in the form of bank balance.
The ED said the immovable properties were purchased between 2013 and 2022 while the bank balance was “deceptively transferred to one of his family members on December 16, 2024 in an attempt to hide.”
“Investigation into the matter by CID unearthed several irregularities in respect of the university, including but not limited to selling degrees, through which the stakeholders of the University generated an estimated proceeds of crime of Rs. 83 crore,” the ED statement said.
The proceeds of crime were generated by the sponsors of the university and ED has attached those on multiple occasions.
According to the ED, provisional attachment orders were passed on March 31, 2017, November 30, 2021 and July 11, 2024 and assets worth Rs. 27.66 crore, Rs. 13.54 crore and Rs. 7.56 crore, in possession of Chandra Mohan Jha and his family members respectively, were seized.
Bank balances to the tune of Rs 1.15 crore were also frozen after searches were also conducted to trace the proceeds of crime in various premises belonging to Jha, for three days in December 2024.
“During the course of these searches, several assets in possession of Chandra Mohan Jha and his family members, which they had procured by committing fraud, came to light,” the ED said.
It may be mentioned that ED initiated the investigation on the basis of FIR and charge-sheet filed by CID Meghalaya under various sections of IPC against CMJ University, Chandra Mohan Jha, his family members, who were also trustees of CMJ Foundation and other persons, for defrauding thousands of students by giving them fake degree certificates in return of money.
Around 20,570 degrees were illegally issued by CMJ University.
