Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate has raided 15 locations in Mumbai in connection with the alleged BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) Covid centre scam case and seized cash and documents of properties worth crores, according to ED sources.
The case is linked to a money laundering case against businessman Sujit Patkar, a close aide of Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Sanjay Raut and Aaditya Thackeray, and others.
According to ED sources, the raids were conducted at locations associated with some officials of the BMC and some other people, including IAS officer Sanjeev Jaiswal, in connection with the COVID-19 hospital management contracts.
According to the sources, ED seized Rs 68.65 lakh in cash during the raid. Documents of 50 immovable properties located at various places in Maharashtra with a market value of more than Rs 150 crore, fixed deposits and investments worth Rs 15 crore and jewelery worth Rs 2.46 crore have also been recovered. ED has also seized several mobile phones and laptops along with many incriminating documents, said the sources.
The search revealed that one company was giving body bags for dead COVID-19 patients to another company for Rs 2,000. That company was giving the same body bags to the Central Procurement Department for Rs 6,800 and this contract was signed by the then BMC mayor, said the sources in the ED.
ED will soon summons to former Mayor of Mumbai BMC Kishori Pednekar for questioning, said sources.
—ANI