ED attaches properties in Jumbo Covid scam by Lifeline Hospital

New Delhi: Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday said that it has attached movable and immovable assets amounting to Rs 12.24 crore belonging to partners of Lifeline Hospital Management Services in case of irregularities in Jumbo Covid facilities at Dahisar and Worli in Covid scam case by Lifeline Hospital Management Services.

The accused have been identified as Sujit Patker, Dr. Hemant Gupta, Rajeev Salunkhe and Sanjay Shah and their accomplice, Sunil Kadam (a.k.a. Bala Kadam).

The ED in a statement said that attached assets are in the form of three flats in Mumbai, mutual fund units and balances in bank accounts.

The ED probe is against Lifeline Hospital Management Service, its partners and others on the basis of FIR registered by Azad Maidan Police station, Mumbai under various sections of Indian Penal Code.

The ED probe found that during June, 2020 MCGM had floated tender or contracts for manpower supply at various Jumbo Covid facilities for ICU Beds, Oxygenated Beds and non-Oxygenated Beds in Mumbai through Expression of Interest (EOI) on June 22, 2020 and June 25, 2020.

“Lifeline Hospital Management services obtained tender for supply of staff members that is doctors, nurses, multi-purpose workers (Wardboys, Aayas and Doctor Assistant) and technicians to Jumbo Covid facilities at Dahisar and Worli for the period from July 2020 to February, 2022 based on incomplete and false documents,” the ED said.

The ED said that it was also revealed that during service period, “the EOI conditions were not maintained by the partners of Lifeline Hospital Management services and there were huge under deployment of the staff members.”

“However, the invoices were submitted by showing adequate staff attendance as per the EOI conditions through fake and fabricated attendance sheets and staff records at Dahisar Jumbo Covid facility and no attendance or staff data was submitted for Worli Covid facility. Despite, the partners of Lifeline in connivance with BMC staff managed to receive Rs 32.44 crore from MCGM authorities during September 2020 to June 2022,” the ED said.

The financial probe agency also said that its probe also revealed that after receipt of the amount from BMC Patker and other partners of Lifeline Hospital Management Services diverted the funds for buying assets, repaying housing loan, investing in real estate’s etc.

“All these identified assets in the form of flats, mutual fund units and bank balances in two bank accounts all totalling to Rs 12.23 crore have been provisionally attached under the provisions of PMLA, 2002,” the ED said.

Earlier in this case, Patker, one of the partner of Lifeline Hospital Management Services and Kishore Bisure, ex-Dean from BMC for Dahisar Jumbo Covid Centre, were arrested on July 19 this year for offences of money laundering under PMLA 2002.

The ED has already filed a chargesheet against partners of Lifeline Hospital Management Services and associated persons or entities before the court on September 19 this year.