Orissa: Doctor faked notices to embezzle funds

The crime branch of the Orissa police on Tuesday conducted raids at the residence and offices of assistant director of factories (medical) Motilal Gouda in connection with the issuing of fake gazette notification asking companies to get the health check-up of their employees done at select pathology labs.

At the time of filing this report, raids were on at Dr Gouda’s government residence in Bhubaneswar and his offices at Mangalabag, Jagatpur, Bhubaneswar and Angul.

The Orissa government’s directorate of factories and boilers on Tuesday confirmed that Dr Gouda was the main culprit behind the issuing of the fake gazette notification. Dr Gouda had allegedly received over one crore rupees as kickback from empaneled pathology laboratories.

“Motilal had fraudulently prepared a gazette notification on his own with enabling provisions for recognising laboratories. He had dispatched a list of these laboratories to some industrial units asking them to send their employees to these pathology laboratories for health checkups. He had inked an agreement with Navratna public sector unit (PSU) Nalco for Rs 63 lakh and was planning to sign another agreement for Rs 1.6 crore with the PSU. Crime Branch is currently investigating the case,” informed P.C. Das, director, directorate of factories and boilers under the labour department.

On the allegation of Dr Gouda receiving a kickback of over one crore rupees, Mr Das told reporters that he had no idea about that and it was being investigated by the crime branch. “The matter came to light 10-15 days ago. We came to know after the gazette notification was circulated by Nalco and some employees of the PSU had got their health check-ups done,” he said.

The crime branch has registered a case against Dr Gouda on the basis of a complaint by the directorate of factories and boilers and launched a manhunt to arrest him. Dr Gouda was suspended on May 29 on charges of fabricating a government gazette and issuing a fake notification to 580 industrial houses to compulsorily send their employees for health check-ups to five pathological laboratories and clinics of his choice in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Talcher. Out of these five labs, two each are in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack while another one is in Talcher.