ED Attaches ₹3.58 Crore Properties in Good Shepherd Schools Misappropriation Case

The Enforcement Directorate has provisionally attached twelve immovable properties valued at ₹3.58 crore in a case involving alleged siphoning of nearly ₹296 crore from educational and charitable funds linked to Good Shepherd Schools. Officials said the present market value of the attached assets is close to ₹15 crore, indicating the scale at which donations and school fees may have been misappropriated over several years.

The probe is based on an FIR registered by the CID’s Economic Offences Wing in Telangana, which uncovered a coordinated scheme within Operation Mobilisation India entities. Investigators found that funds earmarked for Dalit education, scholarships and community upliftment were diverted to personal accounts, fixed deposits and real estate linked to senior functionaries. A significant portion of these funds reportedly originated from major international Christian charities that believed their donations were supporting fully sponsored students.

The ED found that the schools continued to collect regular tuition, book, transport and uniform fees from students who were showcased to foreign donors as studying free of cost. At the same time, government reimbursements under RTE and scholarship schemes were diverted to head office accounts instead of benefiting the children. Forensic auditors flagged concealed collections worth more than ₹15 crore and widespread manipulation of student data, including fabricated names and duplicate sponsorship IDs.

Investigators also revealed that money attributed to educational activities was diverted to a separate entity engaged in religious operations. These amounts were later reflected as local donations before being wired toward church-related spending, foreign travel and property purchases. Officials said that expenses were inflated and cash withdrawals were used to obscure the financial trail, making it difficult to trace the proceeds of crime.

Senior figures under investigation include Dr. Joseph Gregory D’Souza and his son Josh Lawrence D’Souza, allegedly responsible for overseeing foreign donations and directing fund flows across multiple entities. Evidence suggests that fundraising campaigns portrayed regular schoolchildren as “joginis”—a deeply misleading narrative used to collect higher sponsorship amounts from donors abroad.

Following these findings, the Ministry of Home Affairs cancelled multiple FCRA registrations and froze foreign contribution accounts linked to the group. Despite this, investigators say foreign funds continued to flow through alternate entities under the guise of commercial printing payments.

The ED stated that further investigation is underway to uncover additional assets, identify overseas beneficiaries and determine the full extent of fund laundering within the network. The case underscores the financial oversight lapses that can arise within large charitable organisations and the importance of transparent accounting supported by professional auditing services in india