The Ahmedabad City police on Saturday arrested the chairman of Khyati Multispeciality Hospital in connection with Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) racket where two men died while undergoing allegedly “completely unnecessary” angioplasty surgeries.
Kartik Jasu Manilal Patel, 59, the majority investor and chairman of Ahmedabad Bariatrics and Cosmetics Pvt Ltd was apprehended when he landed at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad.
Patel, who was believed to be in Australia at the time when police registered the multiple cases, was one of the nine owners of Khyati Multispeciality Hospital where the racket of issuing fake beneficiary cards under PMJAY scheme was busted last November. The police had earlier arrested the other owners of the hospital.
Patel’s arrest comes 66 days after the three FIRs were filed against him on November 13, 2024.
“Patel landed in Ahmedabad from Dubai, flying in economy class of an Emirates flight,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Ajit Rajian confirmed to The Indian Express.
As Patel was away in Australia, India had issued Look Out Circulars (LOCs) against him.
Investigation in the scan branched out to another case of forgery of illicit beneficiary cards being manufactured in connivance with officials of the health department and employees of the private company contracted to the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana – Mukhyamantri Amrutam (AB-PMJAY-MA).
Notably, Patel’s arrest comes 12 days after his anticipatory bail application regarding the three FIRs against him – one by the State and two by families of the deceased Mahesh Girdhar Barot and Nagar Moti Senma – was rejected by a local court on January 6.
Patel has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, attempt at culpable homicide, and defrauding the PMJAY scheme to make illicit financial gains.
A statement from the state government on January 6 had said, “Special public prosecutor Vijay Barot cited various Supreme Court judgements in the government’s argument against granting anticipatory bail to Patel. The court rejected Patel’s plea in all three cases.”
All 9 accused arrested
Kartik Patel was the last of the accused in the initially three cases, to be arrested. Earlier, the police had arrested Director Rajshree Pradeep Kothari from Rajasthan on December 14, 2024; while Director Dr Sanjay Mulji Patolia on December 4, 2024 from Ahmedabad.
On November 26, the Crime Branch arrested Director Chirag Rajput and three members of the marketing team of the hospital including Milind Patel, Pratik Bhatt and Pankil Patel from a farmhouse in Kapadvanj of Kheda district of Gujarat, while CEO Rahul Jain was arrested from Udaipur in Rajasthan.
Dr Prashant Prakash Vazirani, the visiting Cardiologist who performed the surgeries was the first to be arrested in the case. He was arrested on November 13, 2024, just hours after the FIRs were filed.
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