Mumbai Crime Branch's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has taken over the police probe against a hospital management firm which has been accused of running jumbo Covid centres on forged documents.
On August 24, former MP Kirit Somaiya had registered a first information report (FIR) at the Azad Maidan police station against the firm. The BJP leader alleged that the patients hospitalised in the jumbo Covid centres of Worli and Dahisar complained of poor services. Around the same time, a TV journalist had succumbed to Covid while undergoing treatment at a Pune-based facility which was also managed by the firm. Subsequently, the Pune Municipal Corporation along with the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) conducted a joint inquiry against the firm.
The probe revealed that the firm has no experience of providing medical-related services. Also, it didn't have any adequate staff except junior doctors, which was a violation of contractual terms. Later, the PMRDA had even seized the firm's security deposit worth Rs25 lakh.
The PMRDA had also blacklisted the firm, however, it managed to secure contracts from the BMC on the basis of forged documents. It even took Rs38 crore from the civic body which had issued a letter of acceptance for running the Covid centres in Mahalaxmi and Mulund as well.
A case has been registered against the firm under the Indian Penal Code sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 304-A (causing death by negligence), 465, 467, 468, and 471 (related to forgery) and 34 (common intention).
