New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate is conducting searches at 14 premises in Maharashtra in connection with what is being called the Rs 100-crore COVID-19 centre scam. The case was kickstarted following a complaint by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kirit Somaiya.Among those being raided are Sujit Patkar, close aide of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bal Thackeray) faction leader Sanjay Raut and Suraj Chavan, a personal assistant of Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aaditya, reports on NDTV and Indian Express say.The latter notes that premises linked to IAS officer Sanjeev Jaiswal, who was earlier the additional municipal commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, are also being raided.The Lifeline Hospital Management Services at Mumbai’s Worli which is owned by Patkar, as well as Patkar’s house in Santacruz (East) are among premises being raided.The BMC is alleged to have awarded contracts to manage large COVID-19 centres to Patkar’s firm.Shiv Sena (UBT) supporters are learned to have gathered at Patkar’s Chembur residence and protested against the raids, which are still going on.Raut and Somaiya are political rivals.In April 2022, Raut had said that Somaiya should be made a co-accused in the ‘INS Vikrant’ scam, which is based on allegations of “misappropriation” of funds collected to save the decommissioned naval aircraft carrier which was scrapped in November 2014.In July 2022, Somaiya and his family filed a defamation case against Raut, saying that the latter had baselessly accused them of being involved in a scam worth Rs 100 crore over the construction and maintenance of some public toilets under the jurisdiction of the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation.
