The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken provisional action by attaching assets valued at nearly Rs 12 crore, belonging to Sujit Patkar, a close aide of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, and his associates. This development is part of the ongoing money laundering investigation by the ED into the Covid-19 jumbo centres scam.
The attached assets include three flats in Mumbai, certain bank deposits, and mutual fund units owned by partners of Lifeline Hospitality Services Pvt Ltd, including Sujit Patkar, as confirmed by sources within the agency on Friday.
Sujit Patkar was arrested by the ED in July of this year in connection with orchestrating a fraud amounting to Rs 31.84 crore. The fraudulent activities involved securing a tender for Lifeline Management Services, a company in which Patkar was a partner.
The Covid Jumbo Centres Scam
This case revolves around the establishment of field hospitals by the Maharashtra government in Mumbai during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was entrusted with providing healthcare staff and other facilities on a contractual basis. The initial complaint, filed by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya with the Mumbai police, alleged that contracts were awarded at exorbitant rates to contractors associated with Shiv Sena leaders, despite lacking prior experience in healthcare services.
The Azad Maidan police initially registered a case in August 2022. Subsequently, in November 2022, the case was transferred to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), resulting in the arrest of two individuals and the filing of a chargesheet.
While Patkar managed to secure interim relief in the case, his anticipatory bail was later rejected. The ED then took cognisance of the EOW’s case and initiated its probe into the alleged Covid-19 jumbo centres scam, leading to Patkar’s arrest in August.Sujit Patkar is one of the four partners of Lifeline Hospital Management Services (LHMS), which was awarded the contract to manage Covid-19 jumbo centres in Worli and Dahisar.
Investigation Findings
ED sources reveal that LHMS received Rs 31,84,71,634 from the BMC for the supply of medical personnel to Covid centres. The investigation exposed significant discrepancies in the attendance sheets and documents submitted by LHMS to BMC.According to the ED, at the direction of Sujit Patkar and other partners, LHMS staff submitted fabricated bills for doctors’ attendance, claiming that regular employees were providing services at the jumbo Covid-19 centres in Dahisar and NSCI Worli. The agency noted a substantial under-deployment of 50-60 per cent.Sujit Patkar played a pivotal role in liaising with BMC officials and influencing the contract allotment for manpower supply to the jumbo Covid centres at Dahisar and Worli, according to the ED. The agency also discovered that Patkar received a significant amount from the funds, despite a minimal investment of Rs 12,500 at the time of the firm’s incorporation.
