The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR in connection with the alleged misappropriation of more than Rs 300 crore against unidentified officials of the Karnataka State Open University (KSOU). Officials today, Thursday, October 5, said that the funds were misused under the varsity's collaborative institution programme.

The FIR alleges that the Mysuru-based university had opened its collaborative institutions throughout the country and abroad. "The collaborative institutions were crediting the fees, collected from students towards admission fee, examination fee and such other fees, required to be credited to the university, to unknown sources," it says, as per a PTI report.

During an audit for the financial years 2013-14 and 2014-15, credits to the tune of Rs 50 crore from various collaborative institutions were found missing. "The auditor also calculated approximately another Rs 250 crore missing credits pertaining to financial years 2009-10 to 2012-2013 based on the students' admission and the amount received by the university etc," the FIR alleges.

The findings prompted the board of directors of the university to refer the matter to CBI, which received the state government's nod subsequently. The government asked the central agency to probe the alleged misappropriation of fees collected for the period from 2009-10 to 2015-16 from the KSOU and its collaborative institutions spread all over India and identify the culprits involved, as per PTI.