Five people were booked in Thane for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 1.50 lakh each from two COVID-19 patients for admission into the ICU ward of a hospital, police said on Friday.

After Thane mayor Naresh Mhaske received a complaint that two people were charged "admission fees" at a hospital where COVID-19 treatment is free, he asked the Thane municipal corporation to file a case with the police, an official said.