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CBI arrests CGHS Meerut officials over ₹50 lakh bribe from hospital
The complaint centred around a surprise inspection conducted by a team from CGHS Meerut on July 8 at two of the group's hospitals.
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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested an additional director of CGHS, Meerut, on Tuesday and two more for allegedly demanding a bribe of ₹50 lakh from a hospital for not de-empanelling them from a government scheme, an official said.
The probe agency arrested Additional Director Ajay Kumar and office Superintendent Lavesh Solanki, both posted in Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), Swasthya Bhavan Meerut, and a middleman, Raees Ahmad.
The CBI had earlier booked them on a complaint from a director of the hospital group, alleging that Kumar and his cronies demanded a bribe for not de-empanelling two hospitals affiliated with the group.
The complaint centred around a surprise inspection conducted by a team from CGHS Meerut on July 8 at two of the group's hospitals.
The CGHS team issued notices citing "frivolous deficiencies" in both facilities and threatened to de-empanel them, allegedly to extort money, they said.
The de-empanelment of the hospitals would have rendered them ineligible for treating patients under the CGHS scheme.
"Both the accused public servants had insisted on the delivery of bribe amount of ₹50 lakh at the earliest to avoid de-empanelment of the hospitals," a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.
The officials agreed to accept a partial payment of ₹5 lakh as the first instalment of the bribe, but then the hospital complained.
A team raided the premises where Kumar, Solanki and Ahmad were caught red-handed while taking the bribe, the spokesperson said.
The agency also conducted searches at the residences of the accused.
