₹23L UPI rip-off hits Victoria hosp, information operators beneath scanner | Bengaluru Information – The Occasions of India

Bengaluru: An alleged Rs 23-lakh digital fee rip-off has been detected at Victoria Hospital, one of many largest govt-run healthcare amenities within the tech capital, triggering issues over monetary controls in public hospitals.In a criticism filed with VV Puram police Tuesday, hospital authorities alleged that information working officers at sure money counters used their private UPI IDs as an alternative of the hospital’s official UPI ID to gather funds from sufferers and their attendants.

The criticism was lodged by Dr Deepak S, medical superintendent, Victoria Hospital. “The criticism alleges that the employees accountable for amassing cash at varied counters, such because the lab, OPD and X-ray, used the QR code of their private UPIs as an alternative of the government ID and diverted transactions amounting to Rs 23 lakh. As soon as the FIR is lodged, we are going to begin summoning workers for additional investigation,” a police official stated.Dr Deepak advised TOI that suspicions about misappropriation of funds arose just a few months in the past when some discrepancies had been seen in transactions. “We fashioned an inner committee and audited transactions from the previous few months, and our suspicions had been confirmed. That is why we lodged a police criticism. We have no idea precisely through which of our 8-10 counters the cash was being siphoned off. Now, because the police investigation begins, our auditors will undergo our data to find out when precisely the misappropriation started and the way a lot cash was diverted to date. As of now, Rs 23 lakh is our estimate.”With over 1,000 beds and a multi-department OPD, Victoria Hospital is frequented by hundreds of sufferers, often from weaker socio-economic sections throughout the state in addition to different states of the nation, together with migrant labourers. “Since public cash is concerned, I ordered the submitting of a police criticism,” stated Dr Kavya ST, director-cum-dean, Bangalore Medical School & Analysis Institute (BMCRI).5-month delay in submitting criticismThough suspicions of misappropriation of funds arose months in the past, there was no less than a 5-month delay in submitting the police criticism.Dr Kavya, who took cost because the director-cum-dean on the finish of Aug, stated the diversion of funds started earlier than her tenure. “As quickly as I took cost, I ordered the submitting of an FIR with police, however the administrative procedures took just a few months,” she stated.