Himachal former health director arrested in graft case
“Case is being investigated by special investigation unit. Himachal former health director surrendered before court after the rejection of his bail in the HP High Court. He has been sent to police remand till February 4,” said a spokesman in the official release by state Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau.
The Himachal Pradesh Anti-Corruption and Vigilance Bureau on Thursday arrested former director of health services Ajay Kumar Gupta in a case related to graft in the purchase of medical equipment during the pandemic
“The case is being investigated by the special investigation unit. He surrendered before the court after the rejection of his bail in the HP High Court. He has been sent to police remand till February 4,” said a spokesman in the official release issued by the state Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau.
The case involves taking a commission/ bribe money of ₹4.25 lakh for the purchase of arterial blood gas (ABG) analyser machines during his tenure. The ABG machines are used for analysing Covid-19 blood samples. The investigation revealed that the actual cost of the machine was ₹2.27 lakh, however, it was bought for ₹4.25 lakh. The case against Gupta was registered in September.
Gupta had earlier been arrested in 2020 by the vigilance. The bureau had initiated an inquiry after the audio surfaced in 2020 in which he was purportedly heard seeking a bribe. Searches were then conducted in the office and residence of Gupta under the supervision of SP, SIU, and certain documents were seized pertaining to various purchases made by the health department. He was placed under suspension then.
