Mumbai: Rejecting the bail plea of businessman Sujit Patkar, an accused in a money laundering case linked to BMC Covid field hospitals scam, a special court on Monday observed that his partners and he played with the lives of people during the pandemic by under-deployment of doctors and staff, with the sole intention to cheat the BMC and generate proceeds of crime through fake bills and vouchers.
The judge said that they thought they stepped forward trying to show they wanted to save human lives during the pandemic; instead, they entered into a criminal conspiracy
Special Judge AC Daga said, “Considering the role of the accused as has been brought on record by the way of statements of witnesses, it appears that the accused was actually involved in the commission of the offence since the formation of the firm and took an actual part in all the decisions including liaison with the BMC officials, creation of the fake attendance sheet, bills, vouchers and received the proceeds of the crime trying to show it as untainted amount.” the judge said.
Patkar, 46, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 2023. Opposing his bail plea, Special Public Prosecutor Kavita Patil submitted that Patkar’s role started from the formation of the firm Lifeline Hospital Management Services (LHMS), till doing day-to-day activities of Jumbo Covid Centre including the work of liaising with the BMC officials. In its chargesheet, ED submitted that Patkar used the reference of his friend and Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut to meet Additional Municipal Commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal during the pandemic for Dahisar and Worli Covid jumbo hospital tender discussion.
The ED said Patkar indulged in criminal activities and hatched a conspiracy in connivance with other partners of LHMS and officials of BMC to obtain a tender. During the pandemic, LHMS was providing health workers and doctors to BMC’s Dahisar and Worli Covid centres. Within a month of the formation of LHMS in 2020, it got a contract from BMC to manage Dahisar field hospital. LHMS submitted inflated bills to BMC, even after supplying around 60% less health staff, compromising the health of Covid-19 patients. They even submitted bills on the day when Dahisar Jumbo centre was not operational due to Cyclone Tauktae and all patients were shifted to other hospitals.