DMCH secretary, 2 staffers fail to appear before SIT in cheating case in Ludhiana

LUDHIANA: Secretary and two employees of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) did not appear before the special investigating team (SIT) in the case of alleged misappropriation of hospital funds on Saturday. They were served summons on Friday and asked to appear on Saturday morning. Even as police officials said that they would summon them again, the hospital authority said that they would approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court against it.
After receiving a complaint from a person named Anil Kumar Sachdeva, against two employees of DMCH, including accounts head Umesh Gupta and Munish Kalia, who works in the secretariat about cheating and misappropriating hospital funds by fabricating, forging invoices and other records, Ludhiana police commissioner Mandeep Singh Sidhu formed a three-member special investigating team (SIT) comprising joint commissioner of police, city Saumya Mishra and deputy commissioner of police, investigation Harmeet Singh Hundal as well as additional deputy commissioner of police- operations Sameer Verma.
The complainant alleged that Umesh and Kalia, in connivance with many others, were misappropriating funds cheating the government.
ADCP Sameer Verma said that Umesh Gupta, Munish Kalia and secretary at DMCH Prem Gupta were summoned on Saturday but they did not come. The SIT will summon them again next week.
Prem Gupta said, “The SIT did not even given us time and asked us to appear in the morning. This is not a murder case that the police immediately constituted an SIT and asked us to appear the very next day. We are taking legal advice and may move to the Punjab & Haryana High Court.”