Kolkata, Sep 7 (IANS): Vendor Biplab Sinha, who was arrested in connection with the financial irregularities in the RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, had floated multiple business entities to bag contracts for supply of medical and non-medical material and for maintenance-related work orders in the hospital, sources aware of the developments said.

Sinha is already in the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which is conducting a parallel probe along with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the case.

The ED, which has started an investigation in the money laundering angle in the case after filing an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), has tracked paper-trails of three such entities, all floated and owned by Sinha, which were regular participants in the bids for tenders floated by RG Kar authorities.

Sources said that as per the paper trail, these companies were very effectively used while placing tender bids, where they quoted three different bid-prices, from low to high, to ensure that the entity quoting the lowest bid price was awarded the tender.

These three entities, according to sources, are Maa Tara Traders, Baba Loknath Enterprises and Tiyasha Enterprises.

While the first was the main entity which bagged these contracts quoting the lowest bid-price, the other two were basically on-paper entities meant for quoting higher bid-prices.

The CBI has already claimed at a special court in Kolkata that both Sinha and the other arrested vendor Suman Hazra, were close confidants of the former principal of RG Kar, Sandip Ghosh, who is also in CBI custody now.

On Friday, ED officials conducted raid and search operations at different locations in connection with the case, including the residence of Sinha, from where the investigating officials secured important documents relating to these three business entities owned by him.

ED officials are also probing the angle of disproportionate assets amassed by Sandip Ghosh.

While the CBI took charge of the investigation in the case following an order from the single-judge Bench of the Calcutta High Court, the ED made a suo motu entry in the matter by filing the ECIR.