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After BMTC, Bengaluru’s Victoria hospital staff found involved in digital payments fraud, Rs 23 lakh suspected to be diverted
Medical Superintendent of Victoria Hospital stated in the complaint that outsourced staff members responsible for collecting fees at various counters — including the laboratory, OPD, and X-Ray facilities — allegedly substituted the government's QR code with their personal UPI codes to divert patient payments.
Victoria Hospital, with over 1,000 beds and a comprehensive multi-department OPD, serves thousands of patients daily, primarily from economically weaker sections across Karnataka and neighbouring states, including migrant labourers. (Express file photo)
A financial fraud involving digital payments has come to light at Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru after an internal investigation suggested that the Data Operating Officer (DTO) was using their personal UPI IDs to collect money instead of the hospital’s official payment system.
Dr Deepak S, Medical Superintendent of Victoria Hospital, lodged a police complaint on Tuesday detailing how outsourced staff members responsible for collecting fees at various counters — including the laboratory, outpatient department (OPD), and X-Ray facilities — allegedly substituted the government’s QR code with their personal UPI codes to divert patient payments.
A police officer said that so far, Rs 23 lakh cash has allegedly been diverted. Hospital authorities, however, suspect more amount could have been siphoned off, the officer said.
Hospital officials revealed that suspicions first arose several months ago when discrepancies were noticed in transaction records. Dr Kavya S T, Director-cum-Dean of Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI), which oversees Victoria Hospital, clarified that the fraud began before she assumed charge in late August 2024, and administrative procedures caused a delay of several months before the First Information Report (FIR) was filed.
An internal committee was formed to audit financial transactions from recent months, which confirmed the misappropriation. However, the government hospital has not yet identified which specific counters among the 8-10 payment points were involved in the fraud.
Victoria Hospital, with over 1,000 beds and a comprehensive multi-department OPD, serves thousands of patients daily, primarily from economically weaker sections across Karnataka and neighbouring states, including migrant labourers.
In a similar fraud, three employees of Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) were suspended in January for allegedly misusing the UPI-linked ticketing system, after they reportedly diverted passenger fares to personal accounts instead of Corporation-issued devices. It is suspected that the diverted amount ranged from just over Rs 3,000 to more than Rs 54,000.
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