Major Crackdown: Enforcement Directorate Attaches ₹3.01 Crore Worth of Assets in PMCH Corruption Case
(Syed Ali Taher Abedi)
In a decisive move against financial malpractice, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Patna Zonal Office, has provisionally attached ten immovable and movable properties belonging to multiple medical item suppliers. These assets, collectively valued at approximately ₹3.01 crore, are situated in Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh) and the districts of Patna and Darbhanga in Bihar. The action was taken under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, as part of an ongoing investigation into a massive money laundering case.
The suppliers in question were found to have supplied medicines, reagents, medical machines, and equipment to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) at grossly inflated prices and in excessive quantities, allegedly in connivance with PMCH officials. The ED’s probe stems from an FIR and charge sheet filed before the Hon’ble Special Vigilance Court, Patna. The case implicates O.P. Choudhary, former Superintendent of PMCH, along with several others, for violations under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860, and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
Investigations have revealed that during the financial years 2008-09 and 2009-10, PMCH officials, in collusion with various suppliers, procured medical items at artificially inflated rates, exceeding actual requirements. This fraudulent procurement resulted in an estimated loss of ₹12.63 crore to government revenue.
Notably, this is not the first instance of financial enforcement in this case. Previously, movable and immovable assets worth ₹3.14 crore—held in the names of key accused individuals, including Om Prakash Chaudhury, Vinod Kumar Singh, Ganesh Prasad Singh, Amit Kr. Dhandhania, and Bimal Dalmia—were attached under a Provisional Attachment Order dated November 5, 2020. This action was subsequently upheld by the Ld Adjudicating Authority, PMLA, New Delhi, on April 30, 2021. Furthermore, a Prosecution Complaint (No. 02/2022) was filed before the Special Court (PMLA), Patna, on April 28, 2022, which recognized the offense of money laundering.
As part of its latest enforcement action, the ED has identified additional proceeds of crime—accrued by suppliers through the fraudulent supply of medicines and medical equipment—amounting to ₹3.01 crore. These assets have now been formally attached under the provisions of PMLA, 2002.
With further investigation actively underway, the ED continues its rigorous pursuit of financial irregularities linked to PMCH, marking a significant step toward accountability and legal justice in this high-profile corruption case.
