Guwahati, March 25 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Guwahati Zonal Office, has provisionally attached immovable properties worth around Rs 55.33 lakh in connection with a large-scale fraud linked to the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) scheme in Assam, officials said on Wednesday.

The attached properties belong to Mobzzil Hussain Barbhuiya, proprietor of Shifa Hospital and Research Centre in Hailakandi district. The action was taken under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, the ED said in a statement.

According to officials, the ED initiated its probe based on an FIR registered by Hailakandi Police in November 2022 and a subsequent chargesheet filed in February 2023 under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.

The case relates to alleged fraudulent claims made under the government’s flagship health insurance scheme.

Investigations revealed that the hospital, though empanelled under the AB-PMJAY scheme, allegedly raised 778 fake reimbursement claims amounting to Rs 64.10 lakh between April 2019 and November 2022 without providing any actual treatment to beneficiaries.

Officials further said that the hospital was found to be non-existent at its declared address.

In a systematic modus operandi, beneficiaries were allegedly lured with small payments of around Rs 300, made to lie on beds for photographs, which were then uploaded on the official portal to generate false medical claims. Against these claims, funds totalling Rs 57.96 lakh were credited to the hospital’s bank account by the state health agency.

The ED stated that these proceeds of crime were subsequently siphoned off through cash withdrawals and digital transfers.

The agency further found that the accused had acquired multiple land parcels and constructed buildings during the period of the alleged fraud without any legitimate source of income.

Accordingly, the ED has attached six immovable properties, including land parcels and part of a multi-storeyed building. Further investigation into the case is currently underway, officials added.

–IANS

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