📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Stalinjeet Brar
Crime
Clerk Embezzles Nearly ₹1 Crore from Patiala Civil Hospital Funds, Disappears
✍️ Amar Ujala · Punjab
🗓 06 Nov 2026, 04:01 PM
👁 15
Outsourced clerk Gurinderpal Singh allegedly siphoned close to ₹1 crore from the Patiala Civil Hospital’s accounts and vanished after the fraud was uncovered.
An internal audit at the Civil Hospital in Patiala revealed a massive financial irregularity involving an outsourced clerk. The audit found that Gurinderpal Singh, a resident of Garden Colony in Patiala, had diverted nearly one crore rupees of public money intended for hospital operations.
The misappropriation was discovered during a routine verification of expense records, prompting authorities to launch a criminal investigation. Hospital officials reported that the funds were earmarked for salaries, medical supplies, and maintenance, but the audit trail showed unauthorized withdrawals linked to the clerk’s account.
Following the revelation, police were notified and a case was filed under sections related to embezzlement and breach of trust. As of the latest reports, Gurinderpal Singh could not be located, and a search operation has been initiated across the city. The incident has raised concerns about the oversight mechanisms for outsourced staff in public health institutions.
Hospital administration has pledged to strengthen internal controls and cooperate fully with law‑enforcement agencies to recover the misappropriated amount and prevent similar incidents in the future.
The misappropriation was discovered during a routine verification of expense records, prompting authorities to launch a criminal investigation. Hospital officials reported that the funds were earmarked for salaries, medical supplies, and maintenance, but the audit trail showed unauthorized withdrawals linked to the clerk’s account.
Following the revelation, police were notified and a case was filed under sections related to embezzlement and breach of trust. As of the latest reports, Gurinderpal Singh could not be located, and a search operation has been initiated across the city. The incident has raised concerns about the oversight mechanisms for outsourced staff in public health institutions.
Hospital administration has pledged to strengthen internal controls and cooperate fully with law‑enforcement agencies to recover the misappropriated amount and prevent similar incidents in the future.