In a recent incident in Vadodara, Gujarat, a doctor from Sangli, Maharashtra, was deceived out of Rs 10 lakh under the guise of securing a Rs 5 crore loan for hospital renovations. The fraud came to light when Dr. Jamadar lodged a complaint at the Manjalpur police station in Vadodara.
According to Dr. Jamadar's complaint, two individuals approached him with an enticing proposal to facilitate a substantial loan for upgrading his medical facility.
They claimed they could arrange a Rs 5 crore loan, which Dr. Jamadar required for hospital renovations. However, instead of providing the loan, the accused allegedly collected a total of Rs 10 lakh from the doctor under various pretexts. Throughout this period, the accused kept assuring him that the loan was being processed and would soon be disbursed.
The accused reportedly continued to assure Dr. Jamadar that the loan was imminent, leading him to part with additional sums of money. Despite these assurances, the promised loan never materialized.
When Dr. Jamadar demanded a refund, the accused allegedly refused and threatened him, as stated in the complaint.
Following the complaint, the Manjalpur police initiated an investigation into the matter. Authorities are working to identify and apprehend the accused individuals involved in this fraudulent scheme.
Medical professionals across India have increasingly fallen victim to sophisticated financial scams, resulting in significant monetary losses. In Navi Mumbai, a doctor was defrauded of ₹21 lakh by a finance firm promising a ₹3 crore hospital loan.
In Kolkata, an endocrinologist was allegedly defrauded of ₹25 crore over 13 years through fake investment schemes, and a retired doctor in Thiruvananthapuram lost ₹13 lakh to fraudsters masquerading as stock trading advisors.
Hyderabad saw a doctor extorted of ₹4.6 lakh by individuals impersonating TRAI and CBI officials, whereas in Gurugram, two doctors collectively lost ₹35 lakh in a hospital loan scam.
Even smaller-scale frauds occur, such as a Mumbai doctor being cheated of ₹5 lakh in a car purchase scheme. These incidents underscore the vulnerability of healthcare professionals to both cyber and offline financial fraud, highlighting the urgent need for vigilance, due diligence, and stronger regulatory safeguards in financial dealings involving medical practitioners.
(Rh/Eth/ARC/MSM)
