ED arrests businessman Sujit Patkar in BMC COVID-19 centres case

Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate has arrested businessman Sujit Patkar, a friend of Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, and another person in connection with a money laundering case related to alleged irregularities in setting up of jumbo COVID-19 treatment facilities here, an official said on Thursday.

Patkar and his three partners allegedly bagged Mumbai civic body contracts fraudulently for managing COVID-19 field hospitals in the city during the pandemic, officials earlier said.

The ED arrested Patkar and doctor Kishore Bisure on Wednesday night after their alleged involvement in the case came to light, an official said.

Bisure was the dean of the Dahisar jumbo COVID-19 centre, the official said.

Both of them will be produced before a court later in the day, he said.

The ED last month conducted raids at 15 locations in Mumbai in connection with the money laundering case against Patkar and others.

The raids were conducted at locations of some officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other people, including IAS officer Sanjeev Jaiswal and Suraj Chavan, a core committee member of the Yuva Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) in connection with the COVID-19 hospital management contracts, officials earlier said.