ED raids 21 locations in Jharkhand's Ayushman scam; seizes Rs 20 lakh, key documents

Ranchi, April 4 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday conducted raids at 21 locations in connection with the alleged Ayushman Bharat scam in Jharkhand, recovering Rs 20 lakh in cash, large investment-related documents, and several papers linked to the alleged money laundering case.

The cash was mainly seized from the residence of Om Prakash, personal secretary to former state Health Minister Banna Gupta.

The raids targeted key individuals, including Jharkhand State Arogya Society (JHSAS) Additional Executive Director Abhishek Srivastava, Senior Consultant Vaibhav Rai, and several former officials associated with third-party administrators like MD India Health Insurance, Safeway, and Medi Assist.

Employees such as Dayashankar Choudhary and Manish are also under the ED’s radar.

The simultaneous raids began at 7 a.m. across 17 locations in Jharkhand -- including Ranchi, Jamshedpur, and Bokaro -- along with two places in West Bengal and one each in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

The action follows a Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report, which exposed large-scale irregularities in the Ayushman Bharat scheme.

The Central government auditor's report alleged that hospitals in Jharkhand fabricated patient bills to claim government payments worth crores and funds were fraudulently withdrawn in the name of deceased patients.

Following the CAG revelations, the ED sought details from the Jharkhand State Health Society and the Health Department regarding actions taken against those involved. The Health Department later provided information on FIRs filed against several hospitals.

Based on these findings, the ED registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) and launched its probe.

Jharkhand has over 750 hospitals enrolled under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, with multiple complaints of fraud worth crores. So far, investigations have pointed to the involvement of Om Prakash, the private secretary to former Health Minister Banna Gupta, in the scam.

The ED’s probe is ongoing, with further revelations expected in the coming days.

--IANS

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