Mumbai crime branch's EOW to probe firm obtaining 'illegal' contract to operate Covid-19 jumbo units

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The probe against a hospital management firm for allegedly providing forged documents to bag contracts to operating jumbo centres during the Covid-19 outbreak and causing death by negligence has been transferred to Mumbai Police's crime branch, an official said Wednesday.

The investigation was hitherto handled by the Mumbai Police which had registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the firm and four persons associated with it on a complaint lodged by former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kirit Somaiya.

The case has been handed over to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the crime branch for further investigation, the official said.

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As per the FIR, in June 2020, the partners in the hospital management firm submitted a fake partnership deed to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and obtained contracts for jumbo Covid-19 centres at NSEL, Worli, Mulund, Dahisar (in Mumbai) and in Pune without having any experience in the medical field.

The firm had submitted bills of these centres to the BMC and collected Rs 38 crore, it said. For their personal gains, these persons cheated the government machinery and common citizens. Many people lost their lives due to the alleged negligence of these persons, the FIR said.

After verification, it was found that staffers and doctors at these Covid-19 centres did not have medical certificates and allegedly failed to provide proper treatment due to which people suffered, as per the FIR.

The case was registered under Indian Penal Code Sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 304-A (causing death by negligence), 465, 467, 468, and 471 (related to forgery) and 34 (common intention), the official said.

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