A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed by Mumbai Police against previous trustees of the well-known Lilavati Hospital on charges of embezzling ₹85 crore. Following a complaint from Mohit Suresh Mathur, the hospital’s current trustee, the FIR was submitted to the Bandra police station on Monday. According to the allegation, three former trustees—Chetan Vijay Mehta, Rashmi Mehta, and Bhavin Mehta—illegally took over the trust between 2000 and 2023 by using fraudulent documents.
The complaint alleges that the accused trustees fraudulently seized control of the trust’s assets and management. They allegedly took out funds for the purchase of medications, legal bills, and consultations. Instead of being used for the hospital’s requirements, the removed funds were allegedly exploited for private benefit. According to allegations, this serious financial malfeasance took place over more than 20 years, seriously jeopardizing the trust’s operations and resources.
According to the complaint, after his attempts to resolve the matter directly failed, Mathur, the current trustee, took the case to a magistrate’s court. After considering the case, the court directed the police to file a formal complaint against the former trustees for their involvement in criminal breach of trust and cheating. Based on the suspicion that the claimed offences took place prior to 2024, these charges are backed by pertinent sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The cops are looking into the situation right now.
Both the hospital’s spokesperson and the people listed in the FIR have not yet responded to the situation, and the police will probably send the accused a notice telling them to assist with the investigation. Given the hospital trust’s established prominence as one of Mumbai’s top healthcare institutions, the issue has brought up significant questions about financial transparency and governance inside the organization.
This episode highlights the possible abuse of authority by those given important positions in public or charity organizations. It emphasizes how crucial it is to protect financial operations and uphold stringent control in organizations like hospitals that oversee public welfare. The magnitude of the purported deception and the possible repercussions for those implicated will be ascertained by the continuing investigation.
SOURCE :
ECONOMIC TIMES
