ED attaches assets over Rs 12 crore in Mumbai Covid centre scam case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday attached assets worth over Rs 12 crore belonging to individuals linked to an alleged fraud in setting up BMC-run Covid care centers in Mumbai. Among those named is Sujit Patkar, an alleged aide of Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut.

The action, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), targeted three flats in Mumbai, mutual funds, and bank deposits held by partners of Lifeline Hospital Management Services (LHMS) Sujit Patkar, Dr. Hemant Gupta, Rajeev Salunkhe, Sanjay Shah — and their associate, Sunil Kadam alias Bala Kadam. The total value of attached properties is Rs 12.24 crore.

The probe stems from alleged irregularities in the Jumbo Covid facilities at Dahisar and Worli, and follows an FIR filed by Mumbai Police. Patkar and Dr. Kishore Bisure, former dean of the Dahisar Jumbo Covid Centre, were arrested by the ED in July and remain in judicial custody.

The alleged irregularities began in June 2020 when the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued tenders for supplying human resources at various Jumbo Covid facilities for ICU, oxygen, and non-oxygen beds. LHMS allegedly secured the contract for staffing both Dahisar and Worli facilities through incomplete and false documents, the ED claims.

During the service period (July 2020-February 2022), LHMS allegedly failed to maintain agreed-upon staffing levels. Invoices were submitted with fabricated attendance sheets and staff records showing adequate staffing at Dahisar, while no attendance data was provided for Worli, the ED alleges.