Mumbai: BMC chief Iqbal Singh Chahal leaves ED office after hours of questioning in COVID Centre scam case

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal left the office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after hours of questioning on Monday.

Chahal was summoned by the ED for questioning in a case pertaining to the alleged irregularities COVID centre scam. Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kirit Somaiya had alleged irregularities in the COVID-19 centres set up by the BMC.

The ED had called Chahal to record his statement in the matter.

Chahal was questioned for nearly three hours after he made his way into the ED office at Ballad Estate in south Mumbai at around 11.40 am.

An FIR was registered against a hospital management company after Somaiya filed a complaint at the Azad Maidan police station.

It is alleged that the company had submitted forged documents and won the bid to construct a Jumbo Covid Centres.

COVID Centre Scam

As per the FIR, in June 2020, the hospital management firm partners allegedly submitted a fake partnership deed to the BMC and obtained contracts to set up Covid care centres at NSEL, Worli, Mulund and Dahisar in Mumbai and in Pune without having any experience in the medical field.

The firm had submitted bills for these centres to the BMC and collected ₹38 crore, the complaint states, further adding that many people lost their lives due to the alleged negligence of these persons.

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