New Delhi (Agency): A Mumbai court ordered businessman Sujit Patkar and another individual to be held in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), a financial crime investigation agency, until July 27. They are suspected of money laundering in relation to issues with large COVID-19 treatment centers in Mumbai. Patkar is a known associate of Sanjay Raut, a Member of Parliament (MP) from the Shiv Sena party.
The ED arrested Patkar and Dr. Kishore Bisure on Wednesday night, and they were brought before M G Deshpande, the special judge for Prevention of Money Laundering Act cases, on Thursday. The ED requested their custody for eight days, explaining that it needed to question them to reveal the full extent of the conspiracy.
The court agreed to the request, and Patkar and Bisure will remain in ED custody until July 27. Patkar and his three business partners are accused of dishonestly securing contracts from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to set up or run large field hospitals for COVID-19 — known as ‘jumbo centers’ — in the city during the pandemic.
Dr. Bisure was previously the dean of one such ‘jumbo center’ located at Dahisar. This case represents a notable example of the misuse of public resources in a time of crisis, and the ongoing investigation is expected to reveal more about the extent of the suspected fraudulent activity. Mumbai businessman Sujit Patkar, involved in a COVID center scam, is remanded to ED custody until July 27.