Mumbai: After ED’s Action, Income Tax Department Joins Probe; Nationwide Operation Unveils Startling Aspects Of Corona Centre Embezzlement Case

Mumbai, 17th October 2023: In a shocking blow to Sujit Patkar, the prime perpetrator of the Corona Centre embezzlement case, the Income Tax Department has now swooped various places in the country in connection with this case. The Income Tax Department has conducted raids at dozens of locations in Mumbai, Gujarat, Pune, Prayagraj, and Delhi to uncover suspected snaffling at the Covid Jumbo Centres.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has earlier conducted searches in this case after the findings of irregularities in the manner of assigning contracts to provide doctors and medical staff at hospitals by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation. In this case, ED filed a charge sheet against Sujit Patkar, Dr. Hemant Gupta, Sanjay Shah, Rajiv Salunkhe, Dr. Kishore Bisure, Life Line Hospital Management Service Company, and Dr. Arvind Singh.

Today, the Income Tax Department targeted the companies with which the Mumbai Municipal Corporation contracted during the COVID period. According to sources, the income tax department is scrutinising the financial records of these companies and the contractual transactions with the municipality for COVID.

What was the Corona Centre embezzlement case?

During the peak of the Corona period, the Mumbai Municipal Corporation awarded contracts to various private entities to provide doctors and medical staff at various Corona centres across Mumbai. After the change in state government, the new government alleged a massive scam in providing these contracts to private entities.

In line with this allegations, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out multiple searches across the state as part of this case, subsequently filing a chargesheet against associates close to Thackeray group leader Sanjay Raut—Sujit Patkar and Dr. Kishore—in connection with the alleged scandal.

During the investigation, the ED found that the attendance sheet and documents submitted by the Life Line Hospital Management Service Company, the prime targeted company against which charges are labelled, to the Municipal Corporation were fake. According to the sources, the number of medical staff was inflated by creating fake documents, even though there were fewer medical staff working at the Corona centres.