Lilavati hospital accuses ex-trustees of stealing Rs 1,250 crore, black magic

Mumbai: In one of the most bizzare allegations, trustees of the Lilavati Hospital have accused the previous management of performing black magic on the hospital’s premises. They have also filed a complaint against 17 people for allegedly embezzling Rs 1250 crore in the past 20 years. The Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust (LKMM) that operates the Lilavati Hospital, which is one of the premier hospitals in Mumbai, has alleged that they found eight urns containing bones and human hair under the office of the current trustees.

Former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh, who is currently executive director at Lilavati Hospital, said, “Some former employees of the trust reported some months ago that black magic rituals had been conducted in the office where permanent trustee Prashant Mehta sit. Eight pots filled with human remains, rice, human hair and other black magic material were found buried when the office floor was dug up. After police refused to lodge a complaint, we approached Bandra court, and now the magistrate himself is inquiring into the matter under section 228 of the BNSS.”

The charitable trust has also filed a complaint with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against its former trustees, alleging financial embezzlement exceeding Rs 1,200 crore and accused them of siphoning off the trust funds through fraudulent investments, kickbacks and illegal offshore transactions.

“The current board of trustees, after taking charge, roped in a forensic auditor, and financial irregularities worth nearly Rs 1,250 crore surfaced. After this Prashant Mehta approached the Bandra police, but as they refused to file an FIR, Mehta approached a Bandra court and filed a complaint regarding the fraud, and the court directed the Bandra police station under section 175(3) of the BNSS to register an FIR. The Bandra police registered a case. The case may soon be transferred to the EOW (economic offences wing),” Singh said.

According to the complaints, the audit found illegal investments worth Rs 11.52 crore in companies such as Mayfair Realtors and Vesta India, allegedly made without proper accounting, fraudulent legal fee payments of Rs 44 crore, misrepresented as legitimate expenses, procurement-related financial mismanagement exceeding Rs 1,200 crore, involving alleged kickbacks and illicit dealings with third-party distributors.

The accused named in the FIRs include Chetan P. Mehta, Rekha H. Sheth, Ayushaman C. Mehta, Niket V. Mehta, Sushila V. Mehta, Rashmi K. Mehta, Bhavin R. Mehta and Nimesh Sheth.

“The financial mismanagement uncovered is a betrayal of public trust and a threat to our hospital’s mission. We urge authorities to take swift action so that justice is served and our institution can continue providing world-class healthcare without financial uncertainty,” Prashant Mehta said.