Ahmedabad: A scam related to liquor permits has come to light at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, following which the Health Department has dismissed four outsourced employees and placed one government clerk under suspension.

A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed at Shahibaug police station against three employees of the Liquor Permit Office located within the Asarwa Civil Hospital campus for allegedly embezzling government funds amounting to ₹1.80 lakh.

According to the FIR filed by Dr. Jayant Nagardas Solanki, a medical officer at the Civil Hospital, discrepancies were noticed in the liquor permit renewal process. As per official protocol, applicants are required to pay a user fee of ₹25,000 and a renewal fee of ₹20,000 through online payment into the Rogi Kalyan Samiti account at Axis Bank.

However, the accused allegedly conspired to bypass the online payment system. They instructed applicants to pay the fees in cash and issued forged receipts, or manually entered the names in the register without depositing the money into the government account.

An internal audit of the office records revealed that at least nine applicants had paid ₹20,000 each in cash, but the amount never reached the official bank account. The total misappropriated amount identified so far is ₹1.80 lakh. According to the FIR, the illegal activities took place between January 1, 2026, and March 17, 2026.

Based on the complaint, Shahibaug police have arrested Karansinh Sonaji Vaghela, a senior clerk at the Liquor Permit Office, Navinchandra Mangalbhai Dabhi, an outsourced employee, and Vasantkumar Nanajibhai Ninama, also an outsourced employee, in connection with the case. While two other people have been found to be involved in the case, further action against them is likely in the future.

The three accused have been booked under Sections 316(4), 316(5), and 54 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Authorities are currently examining office registers and digital records to determine whether more applicants were defrauded in a similar manner.

Meanwhile, hospital authorities have also formed a five-member inquiry committee to conduct a detailed probe. The committee will examine records, bank accounts, and registers to find out how long the scam had been going on and whether more officials were involved. DeshGujarat