Mumbai News: EOW Files FIR Against Sanjay Raut's Close Aide Sujit Patkar, 6 Others In BMC's Khichdi Scam

Mumbai: The Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has registered an FIR against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut’s close aide Sujit Patkar and six others in the Rs 6.37 crore ‘Khichdi Scam’.

The EOW found that the BMC committed financial irregularities in awarding the contract for distribution of ‘khichdi’ to migrants during the Covid-19 pandemic, the FIR said.

The EOW found that the contractors who were given the task of making khichdi subcontracted the work to others, according to an official. BMC officials received kickbacks to award contracts to favoured parties, the FIR claimed. Vaishnavi Kitchen / Sahyadri Refreshment and Sunil alias Bala Kadam were given the contract but they did not have a kitchen available to make khichdi for more than 5,000 people, the FIR said.

At a BMC meeting, it was decided that the contract should be given to a charitable organisation or an NGO with a community kitchen that could make more than 5,000 meals and had a certificate from the municipality’s Health Department, the FIR stated.

Details On The Khichdi Contract

According to it, the then assistant commissioner (Planning) gave the contract to Vaishnavi Kitchen / Sahyadri Refreshments on Kadam’s application. According to the contract, each packet should have contained 300 grams of khichdi, but the packets distributed among the migrants contained 100-200 grams.

Kadam also subcontracted the work to another party, the FIR claimed. The civic body paid Rs5.93 crore to Sahyadri Refreshments, which transferred Rs45 lakh to Patkar for providing consultancy services, it said.

While investigating a contract given to Force One Multi Services, the EOW found that it did not have its own kitchen, nor a licence from the Health Department or the Food and Drugs Administration, the FIR claimed.

Force One gave the work of making khichdi to Sneha Caterers, which made only 100 grams per packet, it claimed. The BMC gave Rs8.64 crore to Force One, which transferred Rs2.8 crore to the accounts of BMC officials, the FIR said. In his complaint, EOW Assistant Inspector Gopal Ravan, 36, said that the contract was given in contravention of rules.

FIR Filed At Agripada Police Station

The EOW has named Sujit Patkar, Sunil alias Bala Kadam, Rajeev Salunkhe of Sahyadri Refreshments, partners and employees of Force One Multi Service, partners of Sneha Caterer, then assistant municipal commissioner (Planning) and other unidentified BMC officials in the FIR. It has registered the FIR at Agripada Police Station.

Patkar was arrested by the ED in connection with the Jumbo Covid Centre scam and is in judicial custody. The EOW took custody of him last month.