Former Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for nearly six hours on Thursday regarding an alleged body bags scam that occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic in Mumbai. Pednekar, a leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT) party, served as the Mayor of Mumbai during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The ED initiated a case based on an FIR filed by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police.
According to the FIR, Pednekar influenced the contract for body bags and awarded it to a specific contractor who charged Rs 6,800 per bag. However, the same contractor provided the bags to other corporations and civic bodies for only Rs 2,000 each. Additional Commissioner of the BMC P Velarasu was also named as an accused in the FIR and was questioned by the ED earlier this month.
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The ED had previously summoned Pednekar on November 8, but she requested a week’s time. Another summons was issued for her appearance on November 23. Sources indicate that ED officials received information suggesting that Pednekar instructed BMC officials over the phone to award the contract to the particular contractor despite the inflated rates. It is believed that Pednekar and some BMC officials may have been involved in corruption related to the body bag contracts.
Following her questioning, Pednekar stated that she appeared before the agency as a responsible citizen and answered their queries. She added that she would provide the requested documents. Meanwhile, ex-BJP MP Kirit Somaiya alleged the involvement of Uddhav Thackeray, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, and his aides in various scams, including the body bag scam, oxygen scam, Remdesivir scam, and Covid center scam.
The ED is currently investigating multiple contracts awarded by the BMC during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the Covid center case, two individuals were arrested. The ED has also registered a case in the Khichdi scam of the BMC, where corruption is suspected in the distribution of Khichdi packets to laborers and economically weaker sections of society in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra.
This article was published on November 24, 2023, by Sudeep Lavania.
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