RANCHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting raids at 21 locations in connection with the alleged money laundering in Ayushman Bharat scheme scam.
ED sources informed that the premises of former Jharkhand Health Minister Banna Gupta’s Personal Secretary (PS) Om Prakash, along with the Third-Party Assessment (TPA) agencies and others, are also being raided.
The search operations have been carried out since early morning on Friday at several locations in Ranchi, including areas such as Ashok Nagar, PP Compound, Edalhatu, Bariatu, Lalpur, and Chiroundi.
According to ED sources, the raids are being conducted in 21 locations—17 in Jharkhand, two in West Bengal, and one each in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
The investigation was launched after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India presented a report in Parliament highlighting irregularities in the Ayushman Bharat scheme, prompting the ED to register an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR).
The CAG report highlighted irregularities in the Ayushman Bharat scheme in Jharkhand, including cases of treating deceased individuals and other discrepancies.
After the CAG report was presented in Parliament and in light of the findings mentioned in it, the ED sought information from the Health Department and the Jharkhand State Health Society regarding actions taken against those involved in irregularities under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
In response, the Health Department provided the ED with details of FIRs filed against certain hospitals in connection with the scheme’s irregularities.
Based on these FIRs, the ED registered an ECIR and launched an investigation into the Ayushman Bharat scam in Jharkhand. Following its findings, the agency conducted raids on the premises of those linked to the case on Friday.