ED attaches Rs 3 crore assets in PMCH Medical Supply Scam
Patna: As a part of the ongoing investigation into the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) medical supply scam, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached 10 properties valued at approximately ₹3.01 crore.
The assets, located in Greater Noida, Patna, and Darbhanga, are linked to allegations of financial mismanagement and corruption within the medical procurement process at PMCH.
The provisional attachment of the properties follows an investigation into alleged irregularities that occurred during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 financial years. Investigations suggest that PMCH officials, in collusion with suppliers, procured medicines, medical equipment, and machines at exorbitant prices and in quantities far exceeding the hospital’s needs. This, according to the ED, resulted in a loss of approximately ₹12.63 crore to the public exchequer.
Medical Dialogues had previously reported that in a money-laundering case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets worth over Rs 3 crore against the former superintendent of Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), the probe agency informed. This came after the authorities initiated a probe against the former superintendent who was serving in the institution from 2008 to 2010, and found that the superintendent along with the deputy superintendent and faculty head of PMCH purchased supplies at a much higher rate than prescribed by the government guidelines which resulted in a loss of government funds.
The ED's investigation was initiated following an FIR and a chargesheet filed before the Special Vigilance Court in Patna. The charges were based on various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. According to the investigation, Dr. Om Prakash Choudhary, the then superintendent of PMCH, is among the accused named in the case.
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According to ED officials, these assets—including flats, land, luxury vehicles, and bank deposits—allegedly represent proceeds of crime.
The Adjudicating Authority under PMLA confirmed the provisional attachment of these assets in April 2021, following which a prosecution complaint was filed before the Special Court (PMLA) in Patna. The court took cognizance of the money laundering charges in April 2022, marking a critical step toward holding the accused accountable for the alleged scam.
With the recent attachment order, the total value of assets attached by the ED now stands at Rs 6.15 crore.
