3 docs faked docus, got 5L from CM medical fund: FIR

Thane: A criminal offence has been registered against three doctors for procuring Rs 4.75 lakh from the Chief Minister's fund by forging records of 14 patients besides other documents at a hospital located in Ambivli near Kalyan. The FIR states that the three — Dr Anudurg Dhone (45), Dr Pradeep Bapu Patil (41), and Dr Ishwar Pawar, whose age is not specified — obtained money from the Chief Minister's Medical Assistance Fund for patients who had never been admitted to their facility, their Ganpati Multi-speciality Hospital between May 2023 and July 2023. The doctors allegedly used the amount for their personal purpose, says the complaint.
The alleged irregularities came to the fore in two cases. In the first, the fund was sanctioned for treatment of a patient, Arvind Solkhi, for a brain ailment and in the second case for Bhagwan Bhadane, also for the same ailment, said police sources. "But inquiries showed that the patients had been admitted to some other hospitals than those mentioned in the applications," said a source.

This came to the notice of the Chief Minister's Medical Assistance Fund department on July 11, 2023. When officials from the department visited Ganpati Hospital, they found the hospital in a "very poor condition". When the officials asked Dr Dhone to present documents, he slipped out saying he had to pick up his child from school.
The sources said that when further investigation showed that Dr Pawar and Dr Patil had helped Dr Dhoneget the hospital listed on the government panel although it lacked many facilities which were part of criteria to qualify. The team also found out that phone numbers listed as those of the 14 patients were those of family members or other relatives of Dr Pawar or Dr Patil, police sources revealed.
The doctors have been booked for cheating and using forged documents under sections of Indian Penal Code. Senior police inspector Amarnath Waghmode said that the Economic Offences Wing is handling the case.