Remdesivir case: EOW grills Aaditya’s aide Punya Parekh

Mumbai police questioned Punya Parekh, a close aide of Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray, regarding alleged irregularities in the purchase of Remdesivir injections by the BMC. A case was registered in October 2023, with estimated fraud of ₹5.96 crore.

MUMBAI:

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The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai police on Wednesday grilled Punya Parekh, a friend and close aide of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, for his connection with alleged irregularities in the purchase of Remdesivir injections by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) during the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to a senior police officer, Parekh was questioned about his presence in a meeting held at the then mayor Kishori Pednekar’s bungalow in May and June 2020, despite him not holding any official post in BMC or Shiv Sena (UBT). Doctors and BMC officials participated in the meeting, convened to discuss contracts to be given for purchasing the injections.

Parekh arrived at the EOW around 12:30pm, and was questioned for around seven hours. His name cropped up when the agency’s probe led to his presence in the mayor’s bungalow.

The agency had registered a case in October 2023 in connection with alleged irregularities in procurement of the critical anti-viral injection by the civic body during the pandemic. The agency named Mylan Laboratories and unknown officials of the civic body as accused in the case. The fraud is estimated to be around ₹5.96 crore.

The case was registered following BJP leader Kirit Somaiya’s complaint alleging that BMC had purchased the injections at a higher rate -- ₹1,568 per vial – from Mylan Laboratories in 2021, than the prevailing price of ₹665 per vial. He said, BMC also lacked details on the distribution of the injections.

Somaiya also alleged that the civic body initially ordered 50,000 Remdesivir injections but could furnish details of only 40,000 injections, with no satisfactory answers regarding the remaining 10,000 vials.

After a preliminary enquiry, a case was registered with the Agripada police station against Mylan Laboratories and unknown BMC officials under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent), 420 (cheating), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

The EOW registered five cases in connection with alleged irregularities in BMC’s Covid-19 spends. One of them was the case against Lifeline Hospitality Services which had the contract to provide trained manpower for two jumbo Covid centers of BMC in Dahisar and Worli. Other cases pertained to alleged irregularities in awarding contracts for setting up oxygen generation plants at civic hospitals in Mumbai and oxygen cylinders supply, distribution of khichadi to stranded migrants or labourers in the city and purchase of body bags for Covid-19 victims.