NAGPUR, June 27: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Nagpur unit, on Thursday conducted simultaneous raids on office of the suspended Medical Superintendent of Chittaranjan Das Mobile Hospital, Dr Narayan Ramdas Chavan and nine others in connection with an alleged Rs 23 lakh medicine purchase scam.

The ACB teams raided 14 premises of ten suspects in the case, in and around Nagpur and succeeded in arresting nine of them. This is for the first time that the local unit of the ACB has conducted an operation on such a large scale.

Teams drawn from the nine district units of the ACB in Vidarbha, with six Deputy SPs, 12 Inspectors and 200 policemen, conducted in the operation which began early Thursday morning and lasted for more than six hours. The prime suspect, Dr N R Chavan, was arrested from his native place Digras in Yavatmal district.

The ACB filed an FIR at Ajni Police Station this morning against Dr Chavan and nine others, for hatching ``criminal conspiracy'' by misappropriating government funds to the tune of Rs 18.59 lakhs and committing irregularities to the tune of Rs 5.59 lakh.

Dr Chavan was in-charge of the mobile hospital when he used the financial and administrative powers conferred upon him by the government allegedly to squander Rs 18.59 lakh of public money besides purchasing medicines at higher prices from local suppliers by flouting the government rules.

Dr Chavan's subordinates at the hospital -- Sheikh Ramjan Dilavar Sheikh, storekeeper Premlal Waghmare, Sanitary Inspector M D Gondule, Junior Clerk Vijay Shiradkar, driver Bhimrao Patil -- and Dr N R Chavan himself too have been charged with connivance with Chavan.

The ACB has arrested all except Vijay Shiradkar, who is absconding.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.