BERHAMPUR: Three persons including a couple were arrested by Berhampur police on Friday for cheating a doctor by allegedly forging lease agreement of a private clinic purchased by him. The accused apparently re-acquired possession of the clinic they had sold to the doctor.
The couple was identified as 42-year-old Badrinarayana Patro and Nisi Priyadarshini. The third accused was Sangram Keshari Mohanty. Rushi Prasad Nahak, another person involved in the fraud, is absconding.
Sangram and Rushi, directors of M/s Specimen Holdings Limited which holds Apollo Hospital in Berhampur, intended to sell it as it was incurring losses during the Covid pandemic. The victim, Dr Ramesh Chandra Barata who was interested in the clinic paid EMIs and settled some payments on an agreement which was based on goodwill so that the amounts will be adjusted once the property is transferred to him legally and officially.
According to Berhampur Superintendent of Police Sarvana Vivek M, Sangram and Rushi changed their mind and refused to sell the clinic after it began making profits as the pandemic abated. Since they had agreed to the deal, the directors allegedly told Dr Barata they would sell the clinic only if he bought it jointly with Nisi. As the doctor had already shelled out a hefty sum for the clinic, he was left with no other option but to agree to their terms. He had also taken a loan of Rs 5 crore from Bank of Maharashtra so that he can buy the clinic.
On March 31, 2021, together with Nisi, he bought the clinic renamed as Ms Aum Aarogya Hospital Private Limited through registered sale deed after paying Rs 4.64 crore to the directors. However, the next day, Nisi made another agreement with the directors without Dr Batara’s knowledge under which Aum Aarogya was sold back to M/s Specimen Holdings Limited at a price which was even lesser than the EMI the doctor paid.
When Dr Barata visited the hospital, he was assaulted and threatened to be killed by the accused. Finding no other way out, he filed a case with Baidyanathpur Police station. Police arrested the three and seized all the related documents on Friday. Further investigation is underway.