BMC's Covid Centre Scam: ED attaches Assets Worth Over 12 crore From Sujit Patkar & Others

In the BMC’s jumbo Covid centre scam case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached assets worth Rs12.24 crore from Sujit Patkar and the other accused, who are partners and co-owners of M/s Lifeline Hospital Management Services.

Lifeline allegedly secured a contract from the BMC to set up the centres

Lifeline allegedly secured a contract from the BMC to set up the centres with forged documents and had no prior experience in providing manpower for medical facilities. The seized assets include three flats in Mumbai, mutual fund units and bank balance of Rs33.9 lakh. While one of the flats, valued at Rs2.8 crore, is owned by Patkar, another flat belongs to co-accused Rajiv Salunkhe, and the third is registered in the name of Sonu Bajaj.

What do attached assets include?

The attached assets also cover Lifeline co-owner Dr Hemant Gupta’s mutual fund investment of Rs2.7 crore, and Rs3 crore in co-owner Sanjay Shah’s bank account. The ED had filed a chargesheet in the case in a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court.

It names several persons as the accused, including Patkar, Dr Gupta, Shah, another co-owner Rajiv Salunkhe, Arvind Singh (an employee in the firm), and Dr Kishor Bisure, who headed Lifeline. The chargesheet contains information about the alleged financial irregularities, money laundering activities, and the roles played by each of the accused.

Patkar is accused of criminal activities

While Patkar is accused of criminal activities related to obtaining a government contract for the supply of medical manpower and submitting fake attendance records and invoices, Dr Bisure allegedly neglected his responsibilities for personal financial gain while serving as the dean of the Dahisar jumbo Covid facility by approving fraudulent bills based on fake attendance records.

Dr Gupta is accused of participating in a conspiracy

Dr Gupta is accused of participating in a conspiracy with other partners to underdeploy medical staff at jumbo centres and creating fake attendance records, while also diverting proceeds of crime to his personal bank account.