Oxygen Plant Scam Unveiled: EOW Files FIR Against Firm for Allegedly Defrauding Hospitals of Rs 13 Crore During Pandemic Crisis

Imagine the desperation, the sheer panic, as India grappled with the brutal second wave of COVID-19. Oxygen, that most fundamental element of life, became a commodity more precious than gold. It’s against this harrowing backdrop that the Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has now stepped in, filing a serious FIR against a Noida-based firm, Vian Corporation, and its partners. The accusation? Allegedly duping MOD Hospitals of a staggering Rs 13 crore – money meant for life-saving oxygen plants, mind you – right when they were needed most.

According to the complaint filed by MOD Hospitals, they had struck an agreement with Vian Corporation back in April 2021. The deal was straightforward, or so it seemed: eight PSA Oxygen Generation Plants, crucial infrastructure for any hospital, for a hefty sum of Rs 13 crore. The hospitals, under immense pressure and urgency, made a 100% advance payment, trusting that these plants would arrive as promised by July 2021. Vian Corporation even furnished a bank guarantee for 20% of the amount, which, in hindsight, feels like a cruel twist.

But as the weeks turned into months, and the July deadline loomed and passed, those desperately needed oxygen plants were nowhere to be seen. You can only imagine the rising anxiety at MOD Hospitals. They reached out, time and again, trying to get answers. The firm, it’s alleged, started playing a game of delay and deflection, offering various excuses. At one point, there was talk of a partial refund, but ultimately, Vian Corporation supposedly refused to either deliver the critical equipment or return the full, substantial amount of money.

This prolonged ordeal led MOD Hospitals to seek justice, culminating in the EOW registering an FIR under some serious sections of the Indian Penal Code: 420 for cheating, 406 for criminal breach of trust, and 120B for criminal conspiracy. What’s truly disturbing, and perhaps sheds a stark light on the alleged modus operandi here, is the EOW's observation that Vian Corporation and its partners, including Varun Goyal and Tarun Goyal, appear to be 'serial offenders.' There are, shockingly, multiple similar FIRs registered against them in various other states, all for allegedly similar frauds involving the non-delivery of oxygen plants during the very same public health emergency.

It’s a tale that really makes you pause and reflect. To allegedly exploit a national crisis, to profit from the desperate need for life-saving medical supplies, is a betrayal of the deepest kind. Such actions not only cost hospitals crucial funds but, more tragically, could have cost lives by depriving healthcare facilities of the vital equipment needed to treat patients gasping for air. The EOW’s investigation, we can only hope, will bring clarity and justice to this deeply troubling situation.