ED arrests Sanjay Raut’s aide Sujit Patkar, civic body doctor in Covid Jumbo Centre scam

Patkar is one of the four partners of Lifeline Hospital Management Services that was awarded the contract to run a Covid-19 jumbo centre in Worli.

According to ED sources, their probe has revealed that Rs 22 crore was allegedly laundered via shell companies and Patkar was instrumental in this. Dr Bisure has been arrested as he was the in-charge of one of the field hospitals then.

They have said that out of the around Rs 32 crore spent by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in paying against the services availed or materials received from Lifeline Hospital Management Services, around Rs 22 crore was laundered.

This money was routed through shell companies, ED has claimed. The agency has alleged that huge cash amounts were withdrawn and the money trail has been established. It has alleged to siphon off the money, some payments were made to eligible individuals but later they returned the money in cash to the suspects.

The central agency has also questioned IAS officer Sanjeev Jaiswal in connection with the case. Jaiswal’s role as an additional municipal commissioner of BMC during the coronavirus pandemic is under ED’s scanner. Jaiswal’s statement was recorded as he was a key BMC functionary who signed the documents pertaining to awarding of contracts for healthcare services, staff and equipment at the Covid field hospitals.

ED is also trying to ascertain what criteria were followed while awarding contracts to firms linked to Patkar.

The agency in June conducted raids in two phases on over 24 premises in Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana searching places belonging to civic officers, doctors, contractors, suppliers, middlemen, etc. IAS officer Jaiswal’s Bandra residence was also among the places raided.

The case relates to the field hospitals set up in Mumbai by the government during the pandemic. BMC was tasked with providing healthcare staff and other facilities on a contract basis. The BJP alleged that contracts were given at exorbitant rates to contractors linked to Shiv Sena leaders though they did not have prior experience in healthcare services.

ED, while probing the Covid-19 jumbo centre scam, has said it has also come across various other glaring irregularities that allegedly occurred in BMC during the pandemic. The agency after this widened its probe into BMC’s overall expenditure of Rs 4,000 crore during the pandemic and closely scrutinised purchases, deals, awarding of contracts and other transactions during the period.