ED sources says, Mumbai civic authority provided Covid facilities with body bags, medicines at inflated prices

According to sources in the Enforcement Directorate, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) provided drugs for Covid-19 patients at a price that was 25–30% higher than the cost in open markets, India Today reported on Thursday. According to a contract signed by the mayor of Mumbai, one organisation provided body bags for deceased Covid-19 patients to other parties for Rs 2,000, while the same business provided body bags to the BMC’s Central Procurement Department for Rs 6,800.

 

The ED searched many places in Maharashtra on Wednesday in connection with the suspected Covid centre scam case filed against Sujit Patkar, a close associate of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, which led to the discovery of irregularities in the BMC’s dealings.

 

The investigation team also searched the residences of Yuva Sena UBT Secretary Suraj Chavan, a close associate of Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray, and IAS officer Sanjeev Jaiswal. In a forgery case brought in August 2022 against the Lifeline Hospital Management Services (LHMS) company, Patkar, and his three partners, the ED is looking into the money laundering component. BJP leader Kirit Somaiya’s complaint served as the basis for the case’s filing.

 

After the raids on Wednesday, sources in the ED told India Today that the actual deployment of doctors and medical staff at the ‘jumbo’ Covid centres run by Lifeline Services was 60 to 65 percent less than what was shown in the invoice submitted to the BMC. According to the reports, ‘the company was billing for names of doctors who were not employed by falsely representing them as working at concerned Covid centres of M/s Lifeline Jumbo Covid Centre.’

 

Cash totaling Rs 68.65 lakh was seized as a result of the ED’s searches, and documents that revealed more than 50 immovable properties across Maharashtra with an estimated market value of more than Rs 150 crore, fixed deposits totaling Rs 15 crore, jewellery items worth Rs 2.46 crore, as well as a number of electronic devices like mobile phones, laptops, etc., were also seized.