Telangana state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) have booked nine persons including three Insurance Medical Services (IMS) officials, in connection with a case connected to misappropriation of state exchequer money. Then IMS Director Ch Devika Rani, then former Joint Director K Padma, and then Assistant Director K Vasantha Indira are among those booked on charges of swindling Rs.6.50 crore of government money.
The ACB alleged that the accused have indulged in corruption by influencing public servants through illegal means such as falsifying records, conspiracy, and collusion with other accused, causing huge loss to the government exchequer.
According to ACB, one K Srihari Babu is accused of floating shell companies, indulging in circular trading and playing a key role in all the transactions and causing losses to the tune of crores to the government.
The bureau alleged that by submitting a false authorisation letter claiming to be a distributor of Hemocue HB Cuvettes, a device that measures hemoglobin levels, he had procured a purchase order from the IMS Director through his company – Legend Enterprises in 2017-18. The ACB said that Srihari Babu allegedly used his personal influence and bribed or threatened officials of Directorate of IMS.
According to the ACB, the accused supplied the devices at an excessive price. While the company Hemocue AB Sweden, which manufactures the device, sold it to distributors at the rate of Rs 3,300 per unit, the distributors of Hemocue used to supply the same items at the rate of Rs 4,800 per unit. However, M/S Legend Enterprises of K Srihari supplied the same items Director, IMS at the rate of Rs 16,500/-per unit and thus charged an excess price of approximately Rs 11,700 per unit.
The company has supplied 5547 units of HB Cuvettes of Hemocue pertaining to two indents in 2017-18 and charged an excess amount of Rs.6.48 crore/ Rs 6,48,99,900.
As per ACB officials out of those 5547 units of HB cuvettes, 567 units worth Rs 93,55,500 were misappropriated by Joint Director, IMS, Hyderabad.
12 teams of the ACB are carrying out searches at the offices and residences of all accused officers and others.