A special PMLA court in Shimla has declared Mandeep Rana and his mother Ashoni Kanwar as fugitive economic offenders (FEO). They are promoters of Manav Bharti University, a private university based in Solan, Himachal Pradesh. This move comes in a money laundering case connected to the alleged sale of fake degrees to students. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed the case in 2020 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). ED stated that Raj Kumar Rana—Kanwar's husband and main promoter—and his associates obtained ₹387 crore through these fake degree sales. In December 2022, the ED filed a chargesheet against Raj Kumar Rana and 15 others. In January 2023, the special PMLA court took cognizance and summoned Ashoni Kanwar and Mandeep Rana. The duo ignored the summons. The court then issued open-ended non-bailable warrants against them in November 2023. Currently, both accused are believed to be in Australia, according to the ED. Following their FEO declaration under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act (FEOA) of 2018, the ED will now begin the process to seize their assets. The FEOA targets fraudsters who flee India after committing financial crimes worth at least ₹100 crore. Past FEO declarations include liquor baron Vijay Mallya and UK-based arms consultant Sanjay Bhandari.