A massive financial scam has been detected at Jamnagar’s prestigious Government Dental College and Hospital in Gujarat. A contractual employee, Shobhit Garg, has been accused of siphoning off more than Rs 1.36 crore from the hospital’s Patient Welfare Committee fund.
The man -appointed under the National Health Mission — allegedly tampered with official checks to transfer the funds directly into his personal bank account.
A police case has been filed and he has been taken into custody.
The elaborate fraud has been running over the last six months. Hospital authorities said the Patient Welfare Committee regularly issued checks to clear various departmental and operational expenses. Garg would obtain signatures of the clearing officers on these checks. Then he would alter the amounts and recipient details before depositing them into his own account.
An internal review confirmed that he had tampered with 15 checks, embezzling Rs 1,36,19,350.
The scam was detected during a routine internal audit when huge discrepancies were found in the financial logs.
Dental College Dean Dr. Nayanaben Patel initiated a preliminary internal inquiry after which the fraud was detected. The institution then approached the police.
The Jamnagar police have registered a case of fraud, forgery, and criminal breach of trust, and detained Garg.
An investigation is in progress to find out if Garg had any accomplices, said Jamnagar Deputy Superintendent of Police Jayveersinh Jhala. The police are auditing his bank accounts.
