ED gets man arrested for impersonating former Lava International MD at AIIMS

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Friday arrested a man at AIIMS for allegedly impersonating a former managing director of the Lava International mobile company, who is an accused in a ED-money laundering case against Chinese smartphone-maker Vivo-India and others, officials said.

On Thursday, Naval Kishor Ram was nabbed when he was getting his echocardiogram done at the ECHO Lab of the medical institute in the name of Hari Om Rai, former MD of Lava International Ltd.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had sought from the Delhi Police registration of FIR against Hari Om Rai and his son Pranay Rai, Ram and a few others on Thursday. The alleged impersonator was placed under arrest on Friday.

Hari Om Rai was arrested by the ED in October last year on money laundering charges in the case against vivo-India. He had obtained a three-month bail from the Delhi High Court on medical grounds in February.

Hari Om Rai had recently filed an application before the High Court for an extension of his medical bail on the grounds that he suffers from cardiac issues.

The court in response ordered a cardiac health examination of him at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) with a direction that the report is placed before it on Thursday.

A source told PTI that a team of ED officials had reached AIIMS on Thursday to supervise the medical examination of Hari Om Rai. He, however, did not appear till 1 pm even as three emails were sent to him during this period.

His son told ED officials waiting at AIIMS that Hari Om Rai was 'unwell' and would reach the hospital 'as soon as possible', the source said.

Faced with non-cooperation, the source said, ED officials and AIIMS staff reached the cardiology ECHO lab where they were 'shocked' to find another person being examined by a doctor on duty in Hari Om Rai's name and using court issued documents.

The man, later identified as Naval Kishor Ram, 'initially claimed' to be Hari Om Rai but on subsequent questioning disclosed his real name to the ED officials.

He (Ram) said he was instructed by a doctor at a private health facility, Vasant Health Centre, to take the high court's documents meant for Hari Om Rai and original medical records and get 'free treatment' for himself in Rai's name.

Ram and his nephew were detained by the agency at AIIMS and subsequently, his personal search was conducted and a 'panchnama' was prepared.

"He (Ram) was instructed to tell his name as Hari Om Rai," the ED officials informed police through the FIR in the case.

The ED charged Hari Om Rai, Ram and others on the charge of 'criminal conspiracy' and handed over Ram to police, which arrested him on Friday.

Ram informed the ED officials that he had done a similar check-up in Hari Om Rai's name on May 8 and that on Thursday, the former MD's associate Chandrasekhar Rai brought him for a fresh checkup at AIIMS.

The ED found Hari Om Rai also 'arranged' for Ram to undergo a CT coronary angiogram at a private diagnostic clinic on March 5 and the report 'falsely' attributed the cardiac findings to Hari Om Rai.

The agency informed the High Court on Thursday about the alleged impersonation and cheating, following which Hari Om Rai was refused extension of bail and was sent to Tihar jail under judicial custody.

The police FIR against the accused, has been made under Sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating), 464 (making false document), 468 (forgery), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).