The charitable trust that runs Mumbai`s well-known Lilavati Hospital on Tuesday alleged that funds worth over Rs 1,500 crore were misappropriated by its former trustees and other related individuals.
According to news agency PTI, the Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust (LKMMT) has lodged separate complaints with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and at the Bandra Police Station in Mumbai in this regard. The trust has also alleged that black magic was performed in the hospital premises by erstwhile trustees and related individuals.
The complaints allege the misappropriation, uncovered during a forensic audit of Lilavati Hospital`s financial records, has impacted the trust`s operations and healthcare services provided by the leading private medical facility located in upscale Bandra area of Mumbai.
“We filed complaints which translated into FIRs (first information reports) due to the orders of the Bandra Magistrate Court. More than three FIRs have been filed against the former trustees and other related individuals. A fourth proceeding against these individuals is now pending before the Learned Magistrate which is based on our complaint filed in the Bandra Police Station for black magic and occult practices,” LKMMT Permanent Resident Trustee Prashant Mehta told reporters.
The Bandra Magistrate Court has ordered an inquiry against the accused, he added.
“We are committed to upholding the integrity of the Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust and ensuring that funds meant for healthcare services are used solely for the benefit of patients who rely on us daily.
“The gross misconduct and financial misappropriation uncovered during forensic audit i not just a betrayal of the trust placed in the alleged and fraudulent former trustees, but a direct threat to the very mission of our hospital,” Mehta stated, adding LKMMT will ensure that every individual involved in these illegal activities is held accountable.
“We request the Enforcement Directorate to take swift and decisive action in investigating these financial crimes under the provisions of the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act),” he stated.
After receiving control of the trust after a long legal battle, the current trustees allegedly identified large-scale irregularities in the affairs of the hospital management body by their predecessors and decided to conduct a forensic audit, reported PTI. Chetan Dalal Investigation and Management Services (CDIMS) and ADB and Associates were appointed as forensic auditors.
The auditors found large-scale irregularities, manipulation, siphoning of funds in the affairs of LKMMT by its erstwhile trustees, Mehta claimed.
“We undertook audits and the forensic auditors have come up with more than five reports, which clearly states that more than Rs 1,500 crore has been siphoned and misappropriated by this illegal group of trustees. This money has been siphoned off by former trustees most of whom are NRIs (non-resident Indians) and residents of Dubai and Belgium,” he alleged.
On the basis of the findings of the forensic audit, the current trustee filed three complaints at the Bandra Police Station alleging forgery and misappropriation of funds, PTI reported. After registration of FIRs, the case was transferred to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police, which is carrying out an investigation.
The third FIR at the Bandra Police Station alleged that Rs 1,200 crore was misappropriated by indulging into illegalities with third-party distributors in respect of procurements for the hospital.
In addition to these FIRs, Mehta said another case is under investigation in Gujarat in connection with the theft of valuables from Lilavati Hospital`s facility in the adjoining state.
Speaking about black magic rituals performed in the hospital premises, he said “We have discovered more than seven urns with human hair and skulls.”
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Police`s EOW has initiated a probe into an alleged cheating case of Rs 85 crore registered against three former trustees of the hospital, officers said on Tuesday.
The case, registered at the Bandra Police Station on December 30 last year on a complaint of LKMMT, had been transferred to EOW on orders of the magistrate`s court, an officer said.
The complaint was filed by one of the current trustees of the hospital after he found that between 2002 and 2023, the accused seized control of the trust by allegedly using fake documents.
They unlawfully utilised Rs 85 crore for advocate fees for personal cases under the pretext of purchasing medical equipment and for personal expenses, the officer said.
Based on the complaint, a case related to cheating and criminal breach of trust was registered at the Bandra Police Station, he added.
(With PTI inputs)
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