BMC COVID Scam: ED searches at 15 locations in Mumbai, four major medical groups in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Sleuths of Enforcement Directorate are carrying raids at over 15 locations in Mumbai and six locations in Hyderabad. The searches in Mumbai is in regard to the alleged Rs 12000 crore scam during COVID-19 by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). While the raids in Hyderabad is in connection with the Medical seats scam.

In Hyderabad, Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday conducted raids against four major Medical Groups--Kamineni, SVS, Prathima and Medicity. It is pertinent to note Prathima group is owned Boinpally Srinivas Rao, who happens the brother of BRS parliamentarian B. Vinod Kumar. Earlier, the group was raided by Income Tax for possible tax evasion.

In Mumbai, raids are conducted at the premises of IAS officer Sanjeev Jaiswal, two close aides of Shiv Sena UBT leaders in Mumbai, and a few locations of some officials of the BMC and other people.

The raids are connection with a money laundering case against businessman Sujit Patkar, who is said to be a close associate of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut. Sources said cases pertains to alleged irregularities in setting up of Covid centres in Mumbai during Uddhav Thackeray’s tenure.

Patkar and his three partners allegedly bagged Mumbai civic body contracts fraudulently for managing COVID-19 field hospitals during the pandemic.

In August 2022, the Azad Maidan police station here registered a forgery case against Lifeline Hospital Management Services firm, Patkar and his three partners in August last year. Based on the FIR, the ED had registered a case to investigate the money laundering angle, the official said.

BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal appeared before the ED in January this year in connection with alleged irregularities in award of contracts for the health facilities during the pandemic.

As per the FIR registered by the Azad Maidan police, the hospital management firm partners in June 2020 submitted an alleged fake partnership deed to the BMC and obtained contracts of jumbo COVID-19 centres at NSEL, Worli, Mulund, Dahisar (in Mumbai) and Pune without having any experience in the medical field.

After verification it was found that staffers and doctors at these COVID-19 centres did not have medical certificates and allegedly failed to provide proper treatment due to which people suffered, the FIR said.

Inputs from PTI