ED Conducts Raids in Fake Ayushman Bharat ID Cards Case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches on Wednesday at 19 locations across Delhi, Chandigarh, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh, targeting a case involving the generation of fake Ayushman Bharat AB-PMJAY ID cards. The raids included the premises of Congress MLA R S Bali, chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation, and Dr. Rajesh Sharma of Shree Balaji Hospital, a close associate of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. Officials revealed that hospitals such as Bankey Bihari Hospital, Fortis Hospital, and others benefited illegally from the scheme.

The probe, initiated by an FIR from the Himachal Pradesh State Vigilance & Anti-Corruption Bureau, uncovered numerous instances of medical bills being generated using fake cards, resulting in substantial losses to the exchequer. The Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) investigation identified 373 fake Ayushman cards used for claims amounting to approximately Rs. 40,68,150. These claims were for treatments that were never provided to the purported beneficiaries.

Further findings indicated that 8,937 Ayushman Bharat golden cards had been scrapped in Himachal Pradesh due to scheme violations. The implicated hospitals, including Fortis Hospital in Kangra, owned by MLA Bali’s Himachal Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., were de-empaneled for illegal practices and non-compliance with procedures. The case involves proceeds of crime totaling around Rs. 25 crore.

Pic Courtesy: google/ images are subject to copyright