Hair, skulls, black magic and Rs 1500 crore fraud: What is going on at Lilavati hospital?

The Lilavati Hospital Trust has filed an FIR against 17 people for allegedly misappropriating funds to the tune of over Rs 1,500 crore. The trust has accused former trustees of being involved in this 'fraud'.

Moreover, they have also claimed that black magic was performed at the hospital premises by erstwhile trustees and related individuals.

'Fraud' at Lilavati hospital

The Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust (LKMMT) has lodged separate complaints with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and at the Bandra Police Station over the embezzlement of funds.

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.

"We filed complaints which translated into FIRs 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.

Uncovering of 'fraud'

After a long legal battle, the current board of trustees took over, they allegedly identified large-scale irregularities in the affairs of the hospital management body by their predecessors and decided to conduct a forensic audit.

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.

Former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh, who is currently executive director at Lilavati Hospital told the Indian Express, that after the irregularities were discovered Prashant Mehta went to Bandra Police to file an FIR. However, they refused to file it.

He then approached  the Bandra court and filed a complaint regarding the fraud.

"The court directed the Bandra police station under section 175(3) of the Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to register an FIR. The Bandra police registered a case," he told the publication.

After registration of FIRs, the case was transferred to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) which is carrying out an investigation.

Further, 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 respect to theft of valuables from Lilavati Hospital's facility in the adjoining state. 

'Seven urns with human hair and skulls': Reports of black magic

Param Bir Singh told the Indian Express, that former employees of the trust claimed that black magic was performed in trustee Prashant Mehta and his mother Charu Mehta's office.

Mehta said, "We have discovered more than seven urns with human hair and skulls."

Cheating case against three former trustees

The Mumbai police's EOW has initiated also a probe into an alleged cheating case of Rs 85 crore registered against three former trustees of the hospital, officials said on Tuesday.

The case, registered at the Bandra Police Station on December 30 last year on a complaint of the LKMMT, had been transferred to the EOW on orders of the magistrate's court, an official said.

The complaint was filed by one of the current trustees of the hospital after he found that between 2002 and 2023, the accused 'purported trustees' seized control of the trust by allegedly using fake documents, he said.

They unlawfully utilized Rs 85 crore for advocate fees for personal cases under the pretext of purchasing medical equipment and for personal expenses, the official said. Based on the complaint, a case related to cheating and criminal breach of trust was registered at the Bandra Police Station, he said.

(With PTI inputs)