Trouble broke out at Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals over the payment of Rs 50,000, out of a total bill amount of Rs 3.25 lakh, which had apparently “gone missing”.
The patient’s colleagues claimed to have handed over the amount to a member of the hospital staff. But the administration at the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass hospital denied receiving the payment, prompting the dupe ‘victims’ to lodge a complaint with Phoolbagan police station on Thursday morning.
Police made little headway even after a full day’s probe on the hospital premises. Several persons, including the security personnel, were interrogated.
“We are still not sure who took the money. Narayan Dey, the complainant, was asked to identify the culprit but he failed to do so. We are looking into all possible angles and hope to catch the imposter, who took the money posing as a member of the hospital staff,” said Ashoke Banerjee, officer-in-charge (OC) of the local police station.
Following an accident on December 20 at a factory in New Barrackpore, two labourers, Rafiq Ali and Bholanath Ghosh, were taken to RG Kar Medical College and Hospital with serious leg injuries. On December 22, as their condition deteriorated, they were shifted to Apollo Gleneagles.
Ali underwent an operation the same day and then another a couple of days later. The leg, that had been crushed under a crane while trying to save Ghosh, had to be amputated.
“On January 14, when Dey, a labour contractor with the private firm, visited the billing section of the hospital, he was approached by a man who claimed to be a member of the hospital staff and offered to help him out,” said OC Banerjee.
“The man took him to a vacant doctor’s chamber on the ground floor of the hospital and asked him to wait there, while he got the bill ready for him. Dey handed over the bill amount (Rs 50,000) and kept waiting for the man to return. After nearly two hours, he feared something was amiss and went looking for him,” he added.
Dey complained to the hospital authorities and the security personnel, only to realise that he had been duped.
“I was convinced that he was a staff member as he seemed well-acquainted with the men behind the billing counter. But when the hospital authorities told me they had not received the payment, I had to go to the police. I don’t know what to do now,” lamented Dey.
“We have started a cheating case but are yet to identify the offender. We are interrogating the staff members, while keeping a close watch on all those entering the hospital. We are also trying to verify whether Dey is telling the truth,” said Banerjee.
