Pune: A major fraud has come to light at the Sassoon General Hospital in Pune. 16 employees of the hospital, including the then administrative officer, have embezzled Rs 4 crore 18 lakh. The case was investigated by the Directorate of Medical Education. On the basis of the inquiry report, the hospital administration has registered a case at Bundgarden police station and suspended all the employees.
Anil Mane, the then administrative officer of Sassoon Hospital, is the main conspirator in the case. Among them are the hospital's cash manager Sulakshana Chabukaswar, room attendant Nilesh Shinde, principal Suman Valkoli, principal Archana Alotkar, principal Manjusha Jagtap, senior clerk Santosh Jogdand, junior clerk Shrikant Shrestha, medical social service superintendent Sandeep Kharat, principal Nandini Chandekar, principal Sarita Lohare, retired CT scan technician Uttam Jadhav and retired nanny Sunanda Bhosale.
Senior clerk Sachin Sasar, senior clerk Pooja Garade, senior clerk Deepak Valkoli and senior clerk Dayaram Kachotia, who were transferred from Sassoon Hospital and are currently working at Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Medical College in Baramati, have also been named in the FIR. The accused have been identified as Sarita Shirke, Sandesh Potphode, Abhishek Bhosale, Bharti Kale, Anita Shinde, Sarita Ahire, Shekhar Kolar and Rakhi Shah.
How did you spend the money?
The scam took place between July 2023 and January 2024, when Anil Mane was holding the additional charge of Administrative Officer of Sassoon. During this period, Mane had the right to transact in the bank account of the administrative officer. He deposited Rs 4 crore 18 lakh in the accounts of 16 employees of the hospital and 8 private individuals from time to time. The money was then deposited back into the employee's account. All the employees were given a fixed amount in return, the sources said.
A case of malpractice
Period : July 2023 to January 2024
Date of release : July 2024
Board of Directors : August 2024
Commission of Inquiry : August 2024
The date : September 2024.
Was it the seniors?
Senior officials say that it is not possible for the employees in Sassoon to have such a large-scale misappropriation without being in the hands of superiors. During this period, Dr. Thakur and Dr S.K. Vinayak was black. So they have doubts. Though action has been taken against the employees, there is a demand from Sassoon to check the involvement of the seniors in this case.
The Directorate of Medical Education had formed an inquiry committee after the embezzlement of government funds in Sassoon came to light. Based on the report of the inquiry committee, the police filed a complaint against the employees and suspended them. The bank account of the administrative officer of the hospital is being audited. - Dr. Dr Eknath Pawar, Dean, Sassoon General Hospital