Shimla: Former Director of Health Services Arrested

Former director of health services, Dr Ajay Kumar Gupta, was arrested on Thursday by the state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau in connection with a bribery case. Gupta, who surrendered before a court after the rejection of his anticipatory bail application by the high court, has been sent to police remand till February 4.

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He was earlier arrested by the anti-corruption bureau for allegedly taking a commission/bribe money of ₹4.25 lakh for the purchase of arterial blood gas (ABG) analyser machines during his tenure as the director of health sciences. The investigation revealed that the actual cost of the machine was ₹2.27 lakh, however, it was bought for ₹4.25 lakh.

According to a media report in HT, the issue was widely criticized by the public after the 43-second audio clip of a conversation between Dr Gupta and Prithvi Singh, a representative for a medical equipment supplier in Punjab, went viral on social media on May 20, 2020.

While investigating the audio clip, the vigilance team found that Prithvi Singh allegedly recorded their conversation to blackmail Dr Gupta. In the audio clip, Prithvi was allegedly willing to pay Rs 3 lakh bribe for clearing a Rs 1 crore PPE kit order.

Following the surfacing of the audio clip, Dr Gupta was booked under sections 7 and 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and was later suspended by the state government. Various documents in relation with the purchases were seized after a raid was conducted at his office and his residence under the oSP, SIU.

During the investigations, the vigilance team discovered another case that was registered against him in September 2020 and he has now been arrested in connection with this case, the officials said.

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