The Enforcement Directorate said on Friday that the searches conducted in connection with the “BMC COVID scam case” revealed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was procuring body bags from a “particular entity” at inflated price.
A “particular entity was supplying body bags for dead COVID-19 patients (to others) for Rs 2,000, while the (same) said company supplied body bags for Rs 6,800 to the Central Procurement Department of the BMC”, the probe agency was quoted by ANI as saying.
It added that the contract was given on instruction of the then mayor of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The ED had conducted searches across Maharashtra on June 21 and seized Rs 68.65 lakh in cash, documents revealing more than 50 immovable properties (estimated market value of more than Rs 150 crore) across Maharashtra. the ED said.
The agency also seized “fixed deposits/investments of Rs 15 crores, jewellery items worth Rs 2.46 core along with several electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptops and various incriminating records/documents”.
What’s the BMC COVID scam case
The Enforcement Directorate conducted raids at 15 locations in Mumbai on Wednesday in alleged Rs 12,000-crore scam during COVID-19 by BMC. An official said raids were conducted in connection with a money laundering case against businessman Sujit Patkar.
“Patkar and his three partners allegedly bagged Mumbai civic body contracts fraudulently for managing COVID-19 field hospitals during the pandemic,” an official had said.
The Azad Maidan police station had earlier registered a forgery case against Lifeline Hospital Management Services firm, Patkar and his three partners in August 2022. BMC commissioner Iqbal Chahal was also questioned in connection with the alleged scam.
The Maharashtra government had announced a Special Investigation Team to investigate the alleged scam.
Source : CNBCTV18
