A Promise Betrayed: Students Pay, Education Never Delivered
In a development that has shaken the trust of thousands of families investing in the dream of premier engineering education, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) announced that FIITJEE, a reputed coaching institution, collected over Rs 250.2 crore from more than 14,400 students between academic years 2025–26 and 2028–29 without delivering the promised educational services.
According to ED officials, substantial sums were collected upfront from students under the pretext of intensive coaching for competitive exams like the IIT-JEE. However, as investigations revealed, the services were never fully rendered. Multiple centers abruptly shut down across major cities, including Delhi, Noida, Lucknow, Bhopal, and Gurugram, causing panic among enrolled students and their families.
Parents, many of whom had paid hefty fees expecting specialized academic support, have alleged that classes were either cancelled midway or never commenced, leaving their children's futures hanging in uncertainty.
Financial Irregularities and Siphoning of Funds
The ED investigation paints a grim picture of financial mismanagement and alleged criminal conduct.Officials allege that funds collected from students were systematically siphoned off for personal and unauthorized use by FIITJEE's senior management, while salaries to faculty and operational staff went unpaid.
During raids conducted on April 24 across multiple FIITJEE premises in Delhi, Noida, and Gurugram, the ED seized Rs 10 lakh in cash, gold worth Rs 4.89 crore, and "incriminating documents" and digital records.These findings indicate a "systematic scheme" designed to embezzle the funds entrusted to the institute for educational services, investigators said.
The sudden closure of 32 coaching centers left more than 15,000 students in distress, many of whom had prepaid substantial amounts. ED officials also highlighted that complaints were received not only from students but also from teaching staff, who claimed non-payment of dues for several months.
The case, registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), draws its roots from multiple FIRs filed by aggrieved parents in Noida, Delhi, Lucknow, Bhopal, and other cities, alleging fraud, breach of trust, and large-scale financial malpractices.
