Much before the Anti-Corruption Bureau and Vigilance and Enforcement department stepped in to probe the alleged ‘multi-crore’ scam in the Insurance Medical Services (IMS) department, its director constituted a committee headed by herself to allegedly pre-empt the investigation.
According to ACB officials, IMS director Ch. Devika Rani, who is the prime accused in the case, had set up a departmental inquiry committee in the guise of ferreting out in-depth information.
However, officials concerned with investigation found the committee was formed only to ‘hush up’ their financial irregularities and destroy the evidence.
“The committee members, who are co-accused in the case, tore up the medicines stock registers and put them in flames, before replacing them with new records last year,” said an official on condition of anonymity.
He said the ‘destroyed’ registers could have played a key role in the investigation.
“However, we have ample oral and documentary evidence to substantiate the commission of the offence by Dr. Devika Rani and her colleagues,” said the officer.
Dr. Devika Rani and 20 others are accused of swindling ₹300 crore by making fake indents of procuring drugs from non-rate contract firms by paying 100 % to 300 % excess price.
The director is accused of setting up benami firms to supply drugs at exorbitant prices.
Further, in the 44-page Remand Case Diary submitted to the Special Court for ACB cases and in possession of The Hindu , the investigators stated that there was prima facie material to prove that seven persons, who were arrested on Friday, had colluded and created fake indents and the purchase order was issued by the director. But, those medicines in the indents were not supplied to ESI hospital or dispensaries.
“The hospital staff, including assistant civil surgeons, in-charge medical officers and pharmacists told us that they never received the drugs mentioned in the indent,” said the officer, adding that they had examined 18 witnesses.
