ED attaches Rs 23.54 crore assets in rural health scheme scam

The Enforcement Directorate has attached immovable assets worth Rs 23.54 crore of Surgicoin Medequip Private Limited and others in Delhi and Haryana in connection with a National Rural Health Mission (NHRM) scam, an official said on Wednesday.

Two properties ordered to be attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act here are in west Delhi's Ashok Vihar Phase I and in Cantonment area, and a factory of Surgicoin Medequip in Haryana.

The ED official said the Ashok Vihar property is estimated to be worth Rs 17.11 crore while a flat in Navsheel Apartments in Delhi Cantonments is valued at Rs 93 lakh. The worth of Sonepat factory is around Rs 5.50 crore.

"During searches at different business and residential premises of Surgicoin Medequip and its directors, we seized incriminating documents that reveal that the company created false invoices and manipulated rates in the supply of medical kits," he added.

In the instant case, medical kits were allegedly supplied at exorbitant rates and Rs 21 crore out of Rs 32 crore funds misappropriated in connivance with officials of the government nodal agency.

The National Rural Health Mission scam took place during the Bahujan Samaj Party rule (2007-2012) in Uttar Pradesh, wherein top politicians and bureaucrats allegedly siphoned off money from the central scheme aimed to improve healthcare delivery in rural areas.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered an FIR on court directions. The Enforcement Directorate registered a criminal case under the PMLA on the basis of the CBI FIR.

--IANS

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