Mumbai: Unidentified person dupes private hospital of Rs 3.29 lakh on pretext of supplying medical journal, booked

Powai Police have booked an unidentified person for allegedly duping a renowned private hospital of ₹3.29 lakh under the garb of providing medical journals. The fraud came to light when the same accused, who had cheated the hospital in 2019, approached them again in January this year, when an offence was registered in connection to this matter.

According to the statement of the complainant, in January 2018, they were looking to stock the hospital library with medical journals, and had floated tenders. Subsequently, they were also approached by an email ID holder, JMJ periodicals, wherein the hospital had placed an order for 20 medical journals valued at ₹6.58 lakh. As the correspondence was on email, the hospital agreed to pay half the amount for booking and pay the rest after delivery. Subsequently, they paid ₹3.29 lakh.

While they were promised the delivery to be in a fortnight in March 2019, the books had not been delivered. After much correspondence and follow up, the company which had taken the booking amount failed to reply on the status of journals. The unidentified accused had written to the hospital in 2021, but amid the pandemic, the hospital failed to reply.

Recently, the hospital received a similar query from the accused in January this year, wherein they realised it was from the same cheating email. Acting on it, the hospital approached Powai Police and lodged a complaint, following which a case was registered against unknown persons under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act for cheating.