Purchase of body bags: ED questions IAS officer Velrasu for 6 hours
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned P Velrasu, additional municipal commissioner, in connection with the alleged irregularities in the purchase of body bags by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ED has also summoned former mayor Kishori Pednekar for questioning.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday questioned P Velrasu, additional municipal commissioner (projects), for six hours as part of its probe into the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) alleged irregularities in the purchase of body bags during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We questioned him for six hours and recorded his statement. We tried to understand what his role in the purchase of body bags was,” an ED officer said.
The agency has also summoned former mayor Kishori Pednekar for questioning on Wednesday.
ED’s case is based on an FIR registered by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai police on August 5 against Pednekar, then additional municipal commissioner-projects (Velrasu), then deputy municipal commissioner with the central purchase department (Ramakant Biradar) and unknown public servants and private citizens. EOW alleged that the accused hatched a criminal conspiracy to favour Vedanta Innotech Private Limited (VIPL) and its directors, and thus defrauded the civic body to the tune of ₹49,63,200.
A director of VIPL has also been booked for allegedly supplying body bags to BMC at ₹6,719 a piece till 2023, more than three times ( ₹1,500 per bag) what it had charged other private hospitals and government authorities during the same period, an earlier inquiry had revealed. The civic body purchased body bags from VIPL at this rate despite Care One Solutions supplying 100 bags to one of the BMC-run hospitals at just ₹2,925 per piece.
{{/usCountry}}A director of VIPL has also been booked for allegedly supplying body bags to BMC at ₹6,719 a piece till 2023, more than three times ( ₹1,500 per bag) what it had charged other private hospitals and government authorities during the same period, an earlier inquiry had revealed. The civic body purchased body bags from VIPL at this rate despite Care One Solutions supplying 100 bags to one of the BMC-run hospitals at just ₹2,925 per piece.
{{/usCountry}}The accused have been booked under section 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant or by banker, merchant or agent, cheating with knowledge that wrongful loss may ensue to person whose interest offender is bound to protect), 418 (cheating with knowledge that wrongful loss may ensue to person whose interest offender is bound to protect), 420 (cheating) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
{{/usCountry}}The accused have been booked under section 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant or by banker, merchant or agent, cheating with knowledge that wrongful loss may ensue to person whose interest offender is bound to protect), 418 (cheating with knowledge that wrongful loss may ensue to person whose interest offender is bound to protect), 420 (cheating) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
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