THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Shimla, July 31: Officials stated that as part of a money laundering probe into the purported Ayushman Bharat scheme fraud, the Enforcement Directorate raided the premises of Himachal Pradesh Congress MLA R S Bali, as well as various private hospitals and their promoters on Wednesday.
Searches at 19 locations in Himachal, Delhi and Chandigarh
They stated that since this morning, searches were being conducted in about 19 locations across Himachal Pradesh including Shimla, Kangra, Una, Mandi, and Kullu, as well as in Delhi and Chandigarh.
Raids are currently taking place at the premises of Bali, Fortis Hospital in Kangra which is affiliated with Bali’s company Himachal Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., as well as at Balaji Hospital in Kangra and the office of its promoter, Rajesh Sharma.
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Officials have stated that Sharma is considered close to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. Sharma reportedly relinquished his ticket for the recent Dehra assembly bypoll in favour of Sukhu’s wife, Kamlesh Thakur, who won the election.
Fake AB-PMJAY cards created
The money laundering case originates from a January 2023 FIR by the state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau, which accuses Kiran Soni, Shri Banke Bihari Hospital in Una, and others of creating fake AB-PMJAY (Arogya Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna) cards.
The ED has alleged that the use of these fake cards led to the creation of numerous medical bills, which in turn caused financial losses to both the government and the public.
