New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted searches at the office premises of Novus Path Labs, DNA Labs, Max Corporate Services, Dr. Lal Chandani Labs Pvt. Ltd and Nalwa Laboratories Pvt. Ltd. and residential premises of their Directors at Dehradun, Haridwar, Delhi, Noida and Hisar in connection with fake Covid testing scam during Kumbh Mela at Haridwar.
The ED has also initiated money laundering investigation on the basis of the FIR registered by Uttarakhand Police.
Labs didn’t conduct tests, made fake entries of Covid testing
During the money laundering investigation it is revealed that the said Labs were given the contract by Uttarakhand Government for conducting Rapid Antigen Test/RT-PCR test for Covid testing during the Kumbh Mela, 2021. These Labs hardly carried out any Covid test (Rapid Antigen Test and RT-PCR Test), but made fake entries for the Covid testing and raised bogus bills in order to earn illegal financial gains.
An amount of Rs 3.4 crore has already been received by them from Uttarakhand Government as part payment. Modus operandi used by these Labs was that these labs used single mobile number/false mobile number/single address/ same Specimen Referral Form (SRF) for multiple persons for showing the inflated numbers of Covid testing without actually doing the testing.
False –ve testing hiked positivity rate in Haridwar
Investigation further revealed that testing was claimed to be done in the name of the persons, who never visited Kumbh Mela. Due to false negative testing by these Labs, positivity rate of Haridwar at that time was shown at 0.18% against the actual 5.3%.
During the search proceedings, ED has seized incriminating documents, bogus bills, Laptops, Mobile phones and property documents. Search has resulted in seizure of cash to the tune of Rs. 30.9 lakh.
Search in the case is still going on and further investigation in the matter is under progress.
