Preserve CCTV footage in ECHS cash-for-referral case: CBI court

Chandigarh: A special CBI judge has directed the CBI to preserve the CCTV footage in connection with the arrest of a doctor in the ECHS cash-for-referral case.The agency arrested Dr Naveet on Feb 6 from a polyclinic for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 3.50 lakh in lieu of referrals of patients from a private hospital under the ECHS scheme. The judge has also sought a reply from the agency on another application seeking details of verification memo of a telephonic conversation. K P Singh, the defence counsel, challenged the CBI's account of the arrest. While the arrest memo mentioned the doctor was apprehended from the NFL guest house, the counsel asserted that his client was caught from an eatery in Murthal. "We request the preservation of CCTV footage from the NFL guest house as well as the dhaba at Murthal to validate the actual location of the arrest. As far as the verification memo is concerned, it became necessary as the agency mentioned this, as well as the conversation, in the registration of the FIR," said the counsel. The judge directed the manager of the guest house as well as the dhaba to preserve the footage. The agency was asked to submit the reply on Tuesday, the next date of hearing. This was not the first instance of a medical profession arrested by the agency. The ECHS scheme has seen several cases in the past where officials were arrested for demanding bribes from private hospitals in exchange for referrals or the expedited release of pending bills. MSID:: 128676636 413 |