The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has summoned ex-deputy municipal commissioner of the BMC’s Central Purchase Department (CPD) Ramakant Biradar. The summons for Friday is in connection with the alleged corruption involving the purchase of body bags at inflated rates during the Covid-19 pandemic. A case has also been registered against former mayor Kishori Pednekar and then additional municipal commissioner P Velrasu in the matter.
The body bag scam is part of four alleged scams during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), probing the alleged Covid jumbo centre scam, has revealed that a leading company was supplying body bags for deceased patients. That company had supplied bags to the BMC at the rate of ₹6,800 per bag, which was three times more than the price charged from others, including private hospitals.