Hyderabad: Devika Rani, six others held in ESI scam to be produced in ACB court

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Friday arrested Insurance Medical Services (IMS) director Devika Rani and six others for involving in the alleged financial irregularities in the supply of medicines to dispensaries and hospitals.

IMS joint director K Padma, assistant director Vasantha Indira, Pharmacist Radhika, Omni Media managing director Srihari and employee Nagaraju and Srihari and IMS superintendent Harshavardhan were among the arrested.

The ACB sleuths on Thursday conducted raids at 23 different places belonging to the IMS officials and four private persons in Hyderabad and Warangal. Some key documents were also seized during the raid.

The arrested are being grilled at the ACB headquarters in Banjara Hills and they will be produced before the special ACB court in the city.

The joint director, Padma had prepared two bogus indents worth Rs 1,03,12,247 on May 26, 2018 and May 28, 2018 which claimed that the medical officers of dispensaries at Patancheru and Borabanda have indented medicines. These bills were passed by Devika. However, the medical officer said that they have never indented.

Similarly, Padma also indented Rs 1,22,51,291 worth medicines to Bollaram and Bonthapally and those were not sent to dispensaries.

During 2017-18, Devika Rani and K Vasantha bought the medicines from Drug Dispensing Units in local instead of Rate Contract causing a loss of Rs 9,43,47,947 to the government exchequer.