More skeletons tumble out of IMS department's cupboard

Hyderabad: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials who intensified investigation into multi-crore scam and financial irregularities in Insurance Medical Services (IMS) department are unearthing new facts.

The scam by officials in purchasing of medicines and equipment to dispensaries and hospitals under the Employees State Insurance (ESI) scheme came into light during last week.

The officials reportedly found IMS Director Ch Devika Rani, her peshi and pharma companies were playing a key role in the scam and financial irregularities.

They further found that the team of officials in Devika Rani's peshi changed 286 orders and manipulated the indents they have received from the dispensaries according to their wish and plan by cancelling actual indents quoted by the dispensaries.

To satisfy the management of Omni Medi pharma, which has been identified as main conspirator in the scam, Director Devika Rani threatened the Computer Operator in her peshi to pass the bills according to the wish of the Pharma Company representatives.

According to ACB sources, the staff in Director's peshi reportedly took signatures of the officials on blank papers and later they prepared the indent on the papers.

It also came to light during the investigation that after receiving the objections from the senior officials regarding six orders, the IMS Director passed them by rejecting the advice of the senior officials.

The ACB officials are focusing mainly on the dispensaries at Cherlapally and Borabanda to unearth facts related to scam. The officials are also concentrating on about 10 Pharma Companies, against whom some of the key documentary evidences were found.

Already the officials enquired 12 Pharmacists belonging to ESI to unearth the figures of multi-crore scam and total amount of financial irregularities.

They have reportedly quizzed the representatives of Pharma Companies namely Bhaskara Agency, Crystal Enterprises, Lakshmi Pharma and others in this regard and got key information to proceed

further in the investigation process.

Earlier, the ACB arrested seven persons including the Director of IMS and the ACB court remanded them to 14 days judicial custody till October 11.