ED raids Himachal MLA R S Bali and hospitals in Ayushman Bharat fraud probe

The Enforcement Directorate raided the premises of Himachal Pradesh Congress MLA R S Bali, some private hospitals, and their promoters on Wednesday as part of a money laundering investigation into the alleged Ayushman Bharat scheme fraud, officials said. About 19 locations in Shimla, Kangra, Una, Mandi and Kullu in the state apart from Delhi and Chandigarh have been searched since morning, they said. Bali, Fortis Hospital in Kangra (promoted by Bali's company Himachal Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.), Balaji Hospital in Kangra and its promoter Rajesh Sharma are being raided. According to the officials, Sharma is "close" to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. He gave up his ticket for the recent Dehra assembly by-poll for Sukhu's wife Kamlesh Thakur. She won the by-poll.

The money laundering case stems from a January 2023 FIR registered by the state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau against Kiran Soni, Una-based Shri Banke Bihari Hospital and others for generating fake AB-PMJAY (Arogya Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna) cards. The ED has alleged that many medical bills were generated on such "fake" cards, causing a loss to the exchequer and the public.