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Sallu's Rs 5 lakh donation exposes multi-crore scam
Probe finds chief accountant of Tata Memorial Hospital had been pocketing crores in donations
Bollywood superstar Salman Khan's casual question to a cancer-stricken child at Tata Memorial Hospital has blown the lid off a shocking secret involving senior staff members of the highly-regarded hospice.
An internal audit earlier this month had found that the hospital's chief accountant, A J Mangaonkar, had allegedly been swindling donations in connivance with some of its senior-most staffers.
However, the management realised that the fraud could actually run into crores only after Salman's visit.
On September 15, Salman, during a visit to the hospital, asked 7-year-old Sahara Shah whether she had received the Rs 5 lakh he had sent in her name.
The actor was surprised to hear that the money had never reached her. It was only when he enquired with the management that the whole sordid story came tumbling out.
In the first week of September, the hospital management received secret information about the alleged involvement of Mangaonkar in the donation fraud. A committee was immediately instituted to probe the allegations.
The committee found that Mangaonkar had been swindling donations for quite a while. The committee also found evidence of the involvement of some senior-most members of the staff.
It was found that Mangaonkar had been pocketing the donations by showing that the amount had been spent on the treatment of dead or discharged patients.
According to rules, donations must always come in the name of the patient. Also, if the money does not reach the patient, it should be returned to the donor.
As Mangoankar was the chief accountant, in charge of receiving the donations, it was not difficult for him to use the rules to his advantage. He made fake vouchers to show that the money had been given to the patient, even as he coolly pocketed the cash.
The hospital authorities revealed that Mangaonkar was suspended on September 3. A senior doctor said, on condition of anonymity, "It appears that Mangaonkar is concealing information.
After Salman Khan's visit, we believe the scam amount could be in crores and there could be many more officials involved. The investigations are currently on to unearth the names of the others."
An internal audit earlier this month had found that the hospital's chief accountant, A J Mangaonkar, had allegedly been swindling donations in connivance with some of its senior-most staffers.
However, the management realised that the fraud could actually run into crores only after Salman's visit.
On September 15, Salman, during a visit to the hospital, asked 7-year-old Sahara Shah whether she had received the Rs 5 lakh he had sent in her name.
The actor was surprised to hear that the money had never reached her. It was only when he enquired with the management that the whole sordid story came tumbling out.
In the first week of September, the hospital management received secret information about the alleged involvement of Mangaonkar in the donation fraud. A committee was immediately instituted to probe the allegations.
The committee found that Mangaonkar had been swindling donations for quite a while. The committee also found evidence of the involvement of some senior-most members of the staff.
It was found that Mangaonkar had been pocketing the donations by showing that the amount had been spent on the treatment of dead or discharged patients.
According to rules, donations must always come in the name of the patient. Also, if the money does not reach the patient, it should be returned to the donor.
As Mangoankar was the chief accountant, in charge of receiving the donations, it was not difficult for him to use the rules to his advantage. He made fake vouchers to show that the money had been given to the patient, even as he coolly pocketed the cash.
The hospital authorities revealed that Mangaonkar was suspended on September 3. A senior doctor said, on condition of anonymity, "It appears that Mangaonkar is concealing information.
After Salman Khan's visit, we believe the scam amount could be in crores and there could be many more officials involved. The investigations are currently on to unearth the names of the others."
Sports
Jodha Akbar
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