In a significant development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken decisive action by provisionally attaching assets worth Rs. 12.24 Crore belonging to partners of M/s Lifeline Hospital Management Services. The individuals involved include Sujit Patker, Dr. Hemant Gupta, Rajeev Salunkhe, Sanjay Shah, and their accomplice Sunil Kadam, also known as Bala Kadam. This move comes against the backdrop of the ongoing investigation into irregularities in Jumbo Covid facilities at Dahisar and Worli, of the Covid Scam orchestrated by M/s Lifeline Hospital Management Services.
The attached assets, a combination of three flats in Mumbai, mutual fund units, and balances in bank accounts, represent the proceeds of alleged fraudulent activities. The ED initiated the investigation based on an FIR registered by Azad Maidan Police Station, Mumbai, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.
The ED’s investigation uncovered a series of irregularities surrounding tenders/contracts for manpower supply at Jumbo Covid facilities. M/s Lifeline Hospital Management Services secured tenders for supplying staff members, including doctors, nurses, multi-purpose workers, and technicians, based on incomplete and false documents.
The partners failed to maintain the conditions specified in the Expression of Interest (EOI), leading to under-deployment of staff members. Despite these lapses, invoices were submitted using fake and fabricated attendance sheets, resulting in the misappropriation of Rs. 32.44 Crore from MCGM Authorities between September 2020 and June 2022.
Further revelations from the ED’s investigation exposed the diversion of funds by Sujit Patker and other partners for personal gains, including the purchase of assets, repayment of housing loans, and real estate investments. The identified assets, totaling Rs. 12.23 Crore, have now been provisionally attached under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
Earlier developments in the case include the arrests of Sujit Patker and Dr. Kishore Bisure, the Ex-Dean from BMC for Dahisar Jumbo Covid Centre, on July 19, 2023, for offenses of money laundering under PMLA, 2002. Presently in Judicial Custody, a Prosecution Complaint has been filed against the partners of M/s Lifeline Hospital Management Services and associated individuals/entities before the Special Court (PMLA) on September 15, 2023. These actions underscore the ED’s commitment to addressing financial irregularities and holding those responsible accountable in the ongoing Lifeline Hospital Management Services case.
