Crime
Jumbo Covid Centre Scam: EOW Summons MMRDA Officials
The Mumbai police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW), probing the irregularities in jumbo Covid centres, has summoned Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) officials for questioning. The EOW’s special investigation team (SIT), which scrutinised the BMC contracts to vendors, suppliers and manpower management services for jumbo centres, has detected several irregularities in payments at inflated costs to select favoured contractors. It has now asked MMRDA to provide details of the contracts awarded for makeshift Covid hospitals at BKC and Malad.
On July 4 exclusively reported the alleged irregularities in the rentals paid to wedding tent suppliers and tarpaulin makers for two temporary Covid hospitals at BKC and a makeshift jumbo centre at Malad. While MMRDA had given a contract to Mumbai-based Jess Ideas Pvt Ltd for the construction of a 1,000-bed temporary hospital at BKC ground at highly inflated monthly rentals of Rs2.18 crore for two years, another Delhi-based tent supplier and wedding contractor NK Kapur and Sons was awarded contract for an additional 2,000-bed Covid hospital with 300-bed ICU facility for Rs2.5 crore rental by MMRDA during the pandemic’s second wave in 2021.
In fact, the makeshift hospitals erected by Jess India suffered major water leakages and flooding during monsoons, forcing doctors to shift several hundred patients to Worli NSC and Goregaon Nesco Centres in heavy downpour. The then MMRDA commissioner RA Rajeev had objected to the makeshift centre in Malad in late 2021 but a senior MVA minister prevailed on the administration to award the contract to wedding contractor NK Kapur and Sons. “Only 74 patients were treated at the Malad centre in two years,” confirmed an EOW investigation official.
BMC paid a huge amount every month to NK Kapur and Sons
The BMC paid a huge amount every month to NK Kapur and Sons for two years in anticipation of the third wave which never came. “It was a colossal waste of public money,” alleged a former MMRDA official in his statement. The highly inflated rentals contracts for temporary makeshift Covid centres are being probed for alleged kickbacks to officials and associates linked to political leaders. Jess India and NK Kapur directors did not respond to calls and mails for comments despite repeated attempts.
Crime
RG Kar financial irregularities case: Trial court slaps show-cause notice on CBI
Kolkata, Jan 30: A trial court has slapped a show-cause on Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for procedural lapses in passing on information to the court about the West Bengal government’s nod for framing charges and trial process against former R.G. Kar principal Sandip Ghosh in the case related to financial irregularities in the institution.
On January 28, the CBI informed Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Tirthankar Ghosh about the clearance from the state government to start the charge-framing and trial process.
Now, the trial court has taken objection as to why the CBI has not informed the same court about the development.
It is learnt that the judge of the trial court has directed the Central agency to give a written explanation for why the same court was informed about it.
The CBI officials investigating the case received the no-objection certificate from the state government on the evening of January 27 and informed the Calcutta High Court about it the next day. On that day, CBI also submitted a report to the Calcutta High Court on the progress in the R.G. Kar financial irregularities case.
A single-judge bench of the Calcutta Court directed officials to complete the framing of charges and begin the trial process within a week.
Besides CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also conducting a parallel probe into the case.
While CBI started its investigation following an order by the Calcutta High Court, the ED made a suo motu entry to investigate the money laundering angle after filing an enforcement case information report (ECIR).
Altogether five persons, including Sandip Ghosh, his assistant-cum- bodyguard Afsar Ali, private contractors Biplab Sinha and Suman Hazra and a junior doctor Ashish Pandey, have been named by CBI and all are in judicial custody.
The main charges in the case include manipulation in the tendering process of R.G. Kar, getting infrastructure-related work done by private contractors bypassing the state Public Works Department against the hefty commission, smuggling of bio-medical wastes from the hospital outside and finally selling organs of the unidentified bodies sent to R. G. Kar morgue for post-mortem in the open market at premium prices.
Crime
Mumbai: Worli Police Arrest 40-Year-Old Woman Within 12 Hours For Kidnapping 5-Year-Old Girl In Prem Nagar
Mumbai: A 5-year-old girl was kidnapped while playing outside her house in Prem Nagar, Worli, between 11 AM and 12 PM on Tuesday.
The Worli Police acted swiftly upon receiving the information and launched an intensive search operation, successfully arresting the accused within 12 hours. The arrested woman has been identified as Deepali Bablu Das (40).
She is currently in police custody, and authorities are investigating whether she has been involved in similar child abduction cases in the past or if she is connected to a larger kidnapping network.
Crime
Delhi Police seize ‘Punjab sarkar’ car with cash, liquor; Mann govt says ‘fake’
New Delhi, Jan 30: Delhi Police have filed a case after a vehicle labelled “Punjab government” was intercepted with cash, liquor and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) pamphlets, an official said. The Punjab government, however, said the car had a fake registration plate and was different from the registered model.
The car was found on Wednesday and a large amount of cash and liquor was seized, police said.
The car had a “Punjab government” sticker, said the officials, adding that AAP pamphlets were also found in the car.
Delhi Police said the vehicle was found parked outside Punjab Bhawan on Copernicus Marg in the national capital. When searched, the cops said they found cash amounting to Rs 8 lakh, liquor bottles with Punjab stamps, and AAP pamphlets inside the car.
As per the model code of conduct in force in Delhi ahead of the Assembly elections, people are barred from carrying more than Rs 50,000 in cash.
A case has been registered at the Tilak Marg police station.
The Punjab government soon issued a denial after the news came out. The government said in a statement that as per the official record, the car was registered in the name of Major Anubhav Shivpuri, who was posted at the Army Dental College, Pathankot, three years ago. He is a permanent resident of Khadki in Maharashtra, it said.
“It has come to the knowledge of the Department of Transport (Govt of Punjab), that a vehicle carrying registration number PB35AE1342 has been apprehended in Delhi carrying illegal liquor and some unaccounted cash. It has been alleged in the media reports that the vehicle has a sticker of Punjab Govt on it,” the statement read.
The Punjab government said the registered vehicle model on the registration number PB35AE1342 was the Ford Eco Sport of make year 2018 but the actual vehicle apprehended by the police belongs to the Hyundai Creta series. “This confirms that the vehicle’s number plate is forged and fake. High-Security Registration Plate(HSRP) is mandatory for all vehicles and the registration plate visible in the video is an ordinary one, without the features of HSRP, hence easy to forge. Also, we have searched our records and found that no such vehicle is owned or hired by Govt of Punjab. The apprehended vehicle does not belong to Govt of Punjab at all.”
The AAP also released a statement, saying the car seizure was a “planted stunt and utterly bogus”.
-
Crime2 years ago
Class 10 student jumps to death in Jaipur
-
Maharashtra4 months ago
Mumbai Local Train Update: Central Railway’s New Timetable Comes Into Effect; Check Full List Of Revised Timings & Stations
-
Maharashtra4 months ago
Mumbai To Go Toll-Free Tonight! Maharashtra Govt Announces Complete Toll Waiver For Light Motor Vehicles At All 5 Entry Points Of City
-
Maharashtra4 months ago
False photo of Imtiaz Jaleel’s rally, exposing the fooling conspiracy
-
National News4 months ago
Ministry of Railways rolls out Special Drive 4.0 with focus on digitisation, cleanliness, inclusiveness and grievance redressal
-
Crime4 months ago
Baba Siddique Murder: Mumbai Police Unable To Get Lawrence Bishnoi Custody Due To Home Ministry Order, Says Report
-
Maharashtra3 months ago
Maharashtra Elections 2024: Mumbai Metro & BEST Services Extended Till Midnight On Voting Day
-
National News4 months ago
J&K: 4 Jawans Killed, 28 Injured After Bus Carrying BSF Personnel For Poll Duty Falls Into Gorge In Budgam; Terrifying Visuals Surface