Ahmedabad: The number of arrests related to the deaths of two Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) beneficiaries after failed angioplasty procedures at a private hospital in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, has reached eight, following the arrest of the hospital’s director, a police official reported on Saturday.
On November 11, seven individuals underwent angioplasty at Khyati Multispeciality Hospital, a procedure intended to widen blocked coronary arteries. However, two patients died after the procedures, leading the Vastrapur police to file three FIRs the following day.
Investigations revealed that the hospital had organized free check-up camps in villages to convince PMJAY cardholders to undergo unnecessary angioplasties, categorizing them as “emergency” cases to fast-track government approvals, allowing the hospital to claim payments under the Central scheme.
Based on a tip-off, Rajshree Kothari, one of the directors of Khyati Multispeciality Hospital, was arrested by a Crime Branch team when she and her husband, Dr. Pradip Kothari, were traveling from Kota to Bhilwara in Rajasthan, according to a police statement.
After an FIR was filed on November 12, the Kothari couple fled to Rajasthan, staying briefly in Udaipur before moving to Bhilwara and later to Kota. Dr. Pradip Kothari has not been named as an accused in the case, police clarified.
“Rajshree Kothari and her husband co-founded Khyati Multispeciality Hospital with Sanjay Patolia, holding a 3.61% stake. She joined as a director on September 22, 2021,” said the Crime Branch.
Rajshree Kothari’s anticipatory bail application was rejected by an Ahmedabad court earlier this month. According to police, the hospital had earned Rs 11 crore from PMJAY last year, with 70% of the income stemming from such fraudulent claims.
Those arrested so far include cardiologist Dr. Prashant Vazirani, hospital CEO Rahul Jain, marketing director Chirag Rajput, marketing executive Milind Patel, and his assistants Pankil Patel and Pratik Bhatt.
The seventh person arrested in the case was Sanjay Patolia, while the eighth arrest was of Rajshree Kothari. The ninth individual named in the case, hospital chairman Kartik Patel, remains at large, police said.
The accused face charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, forgery, and criminal conspiracy to gain financial benefits under the PMJAY scheme.
