A special PMLA court in Shimla has declared a mother and son duo, promoters of a Himachal Pradesh-based private university, as fugitive economic offenders (FEO) in a money laundering case linked to the alleged sale of "fake" degrees to students in Himachal Pradesh, officials said.
“A declaration has been made under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act (FEOA) of 2018 against Mandeep Rana and his mother Ashoni Kanwar,” they said.
Declare mother-son duo fugitive economic offenders in ‘fake’ degrees case: ED to court
The two are the promoters of a Solan-based Manav Bharti University, along with the main promoter and Kanwar's husband, Raj Kumar Rana. Both of the accused declared as FEO are presently based in Australia, as per the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The ED registered a case against the promoters in 2020 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). It, in a statement issued in 2024, had alleged that Raj Kumar Rana and his associates "obtained" proceeds of crime worth ₹387 crore through the sale of "fake" degrees.
