Ayushman Bharat fraud case: ED raids Himachal Pradesh Cong MLA R S Bali, private hospitals, promoters. Details here

The Enforcement Directorate on July 31 conducted raids on the premises of Himachal Pradesh Congress MLA R S Bali, as well as several private hospitals and promoter. The raids are part of a money laundering investigation related to an alleged fraud involving the Ayushman Bharat scheme.

The ED is reportedly searching 19 locations in Delhi, Chandigarh, Punjab, and many Himachal Pradesh districts, including Kangra, Una, Shimla, Mandi, and Kullu. The probe is centred on the fabrication of fake Ayushman Bharat AB-PMJAY ID cards and the scheme's violation by a number of facilities, notably Fortis Hospital and Bankey Bihari Hospital.

The premises of Bali, Fortis Hospital in Kangra (promoted by Bali's company Himachal Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.), Balaji Hospital in Kangra and its promoter Rajesh Sharma are being raided. As per ANI report, many medical bills have been generated on such fake cards, causing loss to the exchequer and public.

Officials told news agency PTI that Sharma has a close relationship with Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. He had stepped aside from the recent Dehra assembly by-election, allowing Sukhu's wife, Kamlesh Thakur, to run instead. Thakur subsequently won the bypoll.

As per the report, the money laundering case is from January 2023 FIR filed by the state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau. The case involves Kiran Soni, Shri Banke Bihari Hospital in Una, and others, who were accused of creating fake AB-PMJAY (Arogya Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna) cards.

The ED has alleged that numerous medical bills were issued using these "fake" cards, resulting in financial losses to both the exchequer and the public.