Archive · 13 Nov 2025
IISc Staffers Arrested for Rs 1.94 Crore Student Travel Fund Misappropriation
Imagine a school called IISc that had money to help students travel abroad for their studies.
Two women who worked in the office and one of their boyfriends have been arrested.
They are accused of faking papers and changing bank account details to steal about Rs 1.94 crore from this travel money.
They allegedly sent the money to their friends and family instead of the students.
The school noticed too many travel grants were being given out, and some were going to people who had already graduated.
An investigation showed that the two women created fake applications using students' names but put in their contacts' bank details.
One of the fake grants was even for the boyfriend.
The police have recovered about Rs 1 crore worth of things the accused bought, like land, gold, and a car.
The two women are in jail, and the boyfriend is still being questioned.
Two IISc assistant clerks and one boyfriend arrested for allegedly misappropriating Rs 1.94 crore meant for student foreign travel grants.
The accused allegedly forged approval orders and manipulated bank account details to divert funds between June 2024 and October 2025.
Diverted money was sent to bank accounts of relatives and acquaintances to fund a lavish lifestyle and purchase assets.
The scam was discovered after IISc officials noted unusually high disbursements and an internal audit exposed the manipulation of student records.
Police recovered assets worth approximately Rs 1 crore, including land, gold ornaments, cash, and a car.
- Who
- Two women assistant clerks at IISc Registrar's office (V Soundarya and R Deepika) and Deepika's boyfriend (Sachin Rao)
- What
- Arrested for allegedly misappropriating Rs 1.94 crore allocated for student foreign travel grants by forging documents and diverting funds.
- When
- Fraudulent activities occurred between June 2024 and October 2025. The scam was discovered after an internal audit, leading to arrests.
- Where
- Bengaluru, at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Registrar's office.
- Why
- To divert funds meant for student travel grants into bank accounts of relatives and acquaintances for personal financial gain, including purchasing property, gold, and a car.
Accused
Investigators
Motive and Action
Accused
The accused allegedly fabricated documents and forged approval papers to divert funds for personal financial gain, leading a lavish lifestyle.
Investigators
An internal audit by IISc officials revealed discrepancies in travel grant disbursements, prompting an investigation that uncovered the alleged fraud.
- Amount misappropriated
- Rs 1.94 crore
- Amount recovered
- Approximately Rs 1 crore
- Accused arrested
- 3 (2 IISc assistant clerks and 1 boyfriend)
- Accused roles
- Assistant Clerks at IISc Registrar's office, Boyfriend assisting in fraud
- Assets recovered
- Property documents (Rs 80 lakh), gold ornaments (Rs 15 lakh), cash (Rs 11 lakh), car
- Fraudulent activity
- Fabricating travel grant applications and diverting funds to relatives/acquaintances
