Maharashtra
Mira-Bhayandar: MBMC Issues Show Cause Notice To Contractor In Rs 2.4 Crore Covid-19 Ambulance ‘Scam’

Mira-Bhayandar: The Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has finally issued a show cause notice to the private contractual agency which was hired to provide ambulance services during the Covid-19 pandemic. The notice has asked as to why excessive payments should not be recovered from the agency.
The notice which was issued on June, 21, 2024 stipulated a time frame of three days for the agency to give an explanation. However, when asked about the excessive amount and if the agency had responded, deputy municipal commissioner- Sachin Bangar who himself had issued the notice remained tight lipped, while requesting to seek an answer on the issue from the additional municipal commissioner.
Social activist- Krishna Gupta has alleged massive anomalies and corruption in the ambulance hiring tender aimed at doling out undue monetary benefits amounting more than Rs.2.42 crore to a Vasai-based contractual agency. On the virtue of data obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act, Gupta stated that the MBMC had roped in the agency to hire 12 ambulances to ferry Covid-19 patients from one hospital to another, or from their homes to the Covid care centres for four months between 3, July, 2020 to 30, November, 2020.
Apart from discrepancy in fares as compared to authorized pricing structure fixed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA), the contractor has also inflated bills under the garb of waiting charges and small split trips/kms.
Moreover, tender conditions envisaging 24-hour services, integration of SPERO App with the toll free 108 ambulance service system, smartphones in each ambulance with adequate internet connectivity were brazenly blown to the wind.
Notably, Gupta had also registered a complaint with the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) which sought a nod from the state government’s urban development department (UDD) nod for conducting investigations into the complaint. In response the UDD in its letter dated April, 29, 2024 directed the MBMC to submit a detailed report in context to the contract given to a private agency for providing ambulance services during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Officials Under Scanner.
It has been alleged that a bunch of civic officials including the erstwhile civic chief, gave a free hand to the contractor for violating the mandated guidelines while manipulating the pricing structure and fabricating data of the distance travelled by the ambulances leading to a jump in bills from the legitimate Rs.48,90,746 to Rs.2,91,05,850 thus causing a loss of more than Rs.2.42 crore to the civic exchequer.
Maharashtra
Pakistani PIO spy Ravinder Verma in judicial custody

Mumbai: The court has ordered the remand of Pakistan Intelligence Operative PIO spy Ravinder Verma from ATS remand to judicial custody. Ravinder Verma of the police station is accused of providing secret information to Pakistan, after which the ATS arrested him. Ravinder Verma’s defense lawyer Rupali Shinde said that her client does not have any secret money more than Rs 2,000 in his account, but the ATS opposed it and said that money was also transferred to him from other accounts, after which the court ordered the accused to be kept in judicial custody for 14 days. The defense lawyer said that the girl with whom Ravinder Verma was in contact is not Preeti Jaiswal, but Jaspreet, and he was in contact with her and was affected by the honey trap and this girl is from Punjab and Delhi. The ATS has interrogated the accused, in which the ATS has been provided with many important details.
Maharashtra
Muslim representative delegation met police commissioner Deven Bharti on Mumbai loudspeaker, stop action till Eid-ul-Adha: Azmi

Mumbai: Muslim representatives met Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti and lodged an objection against the removal of loudspeakers from mosques, saying that only mosques are being targeted, which is completely wrong, while the principle of noise pollution is equally applicable to all, but only on the complaint of BJP leader Kirit Somaiya there is a risk of deteriorating the environment by removing loudspeakers from mosques, and a demand was also made to stop police action to maintain law and order.
Maharashtra Samajwadi Party leader and Assembly member Abu Asim Azmi told the media after meeting the Police Commissioner on the loudspeaker issue that Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti said that no action will be taken against loudspeakers till Eid-ul-Azha, while Azmi drew the attention of the Police Commissioner on this issue that unilateral action is being taken only against mosques. The police take action after the complaint of Kirit Somaiya and then the action starts. He said that the issue of removing loudspeakers from mosques is threatening peace in Mumbai. Azmi said that the way Kirit Somaiya and Nitish Rane are demonstrating provocations has spoiled the atmosphere of Mumbai city.
The police should also take action against them to maintain law and order. Police Commissioner Deven Bharti has assured the delegation that he will take necessary steps on this issue and action will be taken as per the law. Abu Asim Azmi, while expressing concern over mischief on Eid-ul-Azha, told the Police Commissioner that the way some miscreants are constantly trying to create conflict in societies by offering sacrifices. On Nitish Rane’s venom regarding sacrifice in societies, Azmi said that sacrifice is offered in societies and it is done legally, there is no problem in it, but some people are presenting sacrifice as an issue to spoil the environment. He said that even in Hinduism, cats are offered, then no one objects. On Nitish Rane’s demand for virtual sacrifice, he said that Islam will follow Sharia and Muslims offer sacrifices only according to Sharia and the law has allowed us to do so.
Samajwadi Party leader Yousuf Abrahani, Advocate Amin Solkar, Khateeb and Imam of Hari Masjid Maulana Zubair Ahmed Barkati were also present in this representative delegation. Yousuf Abrahani said that legal action is being taken on the loudspeaker issue and the court is also being approached, while all the conditions imposed on the loudspeaker issue are illegal, while the Supreme Court had ordered decibel control and decibels have been fixed, accordingly, loudspeakers are used in mosques, but the police are taking action under pressure from the Kirit Somaiya and the police do not have the authority to remove loudspeakers from mosques, but despite this, this process is continuing, while the Mumbai Police Commissioner has also assured of necessary action on this issue.
Maharashtra
Mumbai Cyber Cell recovered Rs 1.29 crore

Mumbai: The Cyber Cell of Mumbai Police has recovered Rs 1.29 crore from the victims in the Digital Arrest fraud case. The Mumbai Crime Branch had received several complaints on helpline 1930, in which complaints of cyber fraud were received. A 73-year-old doctor from Vile Parle had lodged a complaint on the helpline. The elderly man was called on a video call by a police officer and a judge and cash was withdrawn from his bank account.
In this case, money was transferred five times from the bank account between June 2 and June 4 and Rs 2.89 crore was transferred. After registering a complaint in this case, the police filed a complaint on the NCRP portal and the nodal officer of the bank froze Rs 1.29 crore in the bank account itself for cyber crime. This action was taken under the guidance of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, Joint Police Commissioner Crime Lakshmi Gautam, DCP Purushottam Karad.
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