Raipur, Jul 30 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at multiple locations in Chhattisgarh as part of a money laundering investigation into an alleged over Rs 500-crore medical supply scam during the previous Congress regime in the state, official sources said.

Premises linked to some government officials, medical suppliers and agents, apart from some "middlemen", are being raided in Raipur, Durg, Bhilai and adjoining places, they said.

The ED probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) stems from a Chhattisgarh Anti-Corruption Bureau/Economic Offences Wing (ACB/EOW) chargesheet filed in April against six persons for alleged irregularities in the purchase of medical equipment and reagent chemicals in 2023 that caused a loss of Rs 550 crore to the state exchequer.

The ACB/EOW, on January 22, lodged a case against officials of the state-run Chhattisgarh Medical Services Corporation Ltd (CGMSCL) in Raipur and the Directorate of Health Services department, as well as four firms, namely Mokshit Corporation (Durg), CB Corporation (Durg), Records and Medicare System HSIIDC (Panchkula, Haryana) and Shri Sharda Industries (Raipur), as well as others.

It was alleged that the scam involves the purchase of reagents and equipment without checking the requirement/availability of these items in state government-run health centres.

The CGMSCL made purchases worth billions of rupees between January 2022 to October 31, 2023, in collusion with Mokshit Corporation and its shell company, the ACB/EOW had said.

The 18,000-page ACB/EPW chargesheet had named Shashank Chopda, director of Mokshit Corporation, Basant Kumar Kaushik, Chhirod Rautia, Kamalkant Patanwar, Dr Anil Parsai and Deepak Kumar Bandhe, who were posted with the CGMSCL at the relevant time.

"Kaushik was the in-charge general manager (equipment) and deputy manager (purchase and operations) of CGMSCL. Rautia and Bandhe were biomedical engineers. Patanwar was then deputy manager (equipment) and Parsai was then deputy director (stores)," as per an ACB/EOW official who spoke during the time of filing of the chargesheet.

Chopda was arrested on January 29, while the rest were held in March, according to the official.

It was claimed by the state government probe agency that in one instance, it was found that the EDTA tube used for collecting blood samples was purchased from Mokshit Corporation at the rate of Rs 2,352 per piece, while the same material was purchased by other institutions at a maximum rate of Rs 8.50.

The CBC machine, which is sold in the open market for Rs 5 lakh, was allegedly provided to CGMSC for Rs 17 lakh by Mokshit Corporation, the ACB/EOW had said. PTI NES RT RT RT

Money laundering probe under PMLA exposes alleged procurement fraud and inflated medical-supply contracts in government healthcare procurement. A money laundering investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act targets alleged large-scale irregularities in state medical procurement, prompting coordinated searches at multiple premises linked to government officials, suppliers, agents and middlemen. The probe follows an anti-corruption chargesheet alleging collusion in purchases without verification of need, procurement from related entities, and substantial mark-ups compared to market rates, with investigative action focused on tracing proceeds and collecting evidence.