How Delhi's ex-health chief and finance officer allegedly engineered a Rs 640 crore procurement scam

New Delhi: The alleged Rs 640 crore procurement scam in Delhi's health department has exposed what investigators describe as a carefully orchestrated network of manipulated tenders, inflated purchases and financial irregularities that allegedly benefited select private suppliers.

The Delhi government's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) has arrested former Director General of Health Services Dr Vatsala Aggarwal and former Deputy Controller of Accounts Neeraj Chopra, accusing them of playing key roles in the multi-crore scam involving the procurement of medicines, surgical consumables and medical equipment.

According to the ACB, the two officials allegedly manipulated tender conditions and drafted tailor-made technical specifications that favoured specific companies while shutting out genuine competitors.

Once these firms secured contracts, essential healthcare items were allegedly purchased at highly inflated prices, resulting in massive losses to the public exchequer.

Investigators claim the alleged irregularities covered a wide range of medical supplies, including portable X-ray machines, C-arm radiology equipment, anaesthesia workstations, oral rehydration solution, surgical consumables, bed sheets and linen items.

The investigation began after the Directorate of Vigilance flagged suspected irregularities within the Central Procurement Agency (CPA).

An FIR was registered on June 2 under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The probe gathered pace after the arrest of former CPA Head of Office Dr Vinod Kumar Ranga on June 18.

During questioning and scrutiny of procurement and financial records, investigators allegedly uncovered the roles of Aggarwal and Chopra.

The ACB alleges that procurement approvals and tender-related decisions were processed through Aggarwal's office, while Chopra's office handled financial scrutiny, bill processing and the release of payments linked to the contracts.

ACB chief Vikramjit Singh alleged that the officials engineered customised tender specifications to ensure favoured firms won government contracts, leading to the alleged misuse of several hundred crores of public funds.

The agency said the arrests are part of a wider investigation into an alleged nexus between government officials and private suppliers.