New Delhi: An MBBS doctor who owns an ambulance service company was arrested for allegedly overcharging people to transport COVID infected patient based on a complaint alleging that the doctor charged almost Rs 1.40 lakh to take the patient to Ludhiana from Gurgaon.
As per a senior Delhi Police officer, on Thursday the police started an investigation after receiving information that a company Cardeacare Ambulance Pvt Ltd at Dashghara Village, Inderpuri was providing ambulance services and looting people by charging two to three times more than the actual rent for the transportation of the COVID-infected.
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The 29-year-old accused is an MBBS doctor and a resident of Dashgarha village in Inderpuri. PTI reports that the patient's family told reporters in Ludhiana that they managed to contact a Delhi-based operator as they were unable to find any ambulances in their city. They said the operator initially demanded Rs 1.40 lakh for the service. However, he later agreed to charge Rs 20,000 less after the family told him that they had oxygen stock with them. An amount of Rs 95,000 was paid to the ambulance operator as advance, while the remaining Rs 25,000 was paid immediately upon reaching Ludhiana, the patient's daughter alleged.
Deputy commissioner of police (west) Urvija Goel said that a special team was formed to investigate the case and they nabbed the accused. "During the investigation, police traced Bundwal who ran the ambulance service company. He was later arrested after a case was registered at the Inderpuri Police Station in this regard," he stated. The accused is an MBBS doctor and had been involved in the ambulance business for the last two years, the DCP said.
According to the Times of India, the police have also secured the bank account details of the ambulance service company and investigated the details. "The accused has returned the cheated money to the victim after being nabbed by police. Further investigations to identify more such victims are in progress," DCP Goel said.
It was also revealed that the doctor had been involved in running a racket for the last one month which collected money from numerous people by charging them the exuberant amount, reports the daily.
The Delhi government has recently fixed the charges incurred by the private ambulance services in the city between Rs 1500 and Rs 4000 for a distance of 10 kilometres. The CM has cautioned the ambulance service owners to follow the price cap or they will have to face strict consequences.