The Central Crime Station (CCS) in Hyderabad arrested a former senior purchasing manager at Yashoda Hospitals on Tuesday for allegedly siphoning off more than Rs 1.1 crore from the employer. The accused, Dasari Kavitha, who served as a senior manager in the purchasing department of the Yashoda Group of Hospitals, procured supplies at inflated prices from various front companies belonging to her family and friends between 2023 and 2025, causing a loss of Rs 1.1 crore, according to police.
Case Registration and Investigation
The CCS police registered a criminal case against Dasari Kavitha and four of her accomplices based on a complaint lodged by M Jayaram, deputy general manager in the internal audit department of Yashoda Group of Hospitals, on behalf of Yashoda Healthcare Services Ltd. The complainant stated that Kavitha joined the hospital group in 2019 as an executive assistant and was promoted to senior manager in the purchasing department in 2023. In this role, she was responsible for vendor identification, quotation processing, price negotiation, and purchase order approvals. Under company policy, employees are barred from involving relatives or friends in business dealings.
Internal Audit Findings
During an internal audit in May 2025, it was discovered that Kavitha had colluded with her husband, Kollati Sai Kumar; her mother-in-law, Mohini Kollati; relative S Ramesh; and a friend Padma Raja Shekar to float three companies. These entities were used to secure hospital purchase orders by manipulating quotations and comparative statements to make them appear to be the lowest bidders, the complainant told police.
It was also alleged that various items, including paper cups, bed sheets, uniforms, aprons, scrubs, blankets, T-shirts, and gift articles, were purchased from the open market at lower rates and then supplied to the hospital at inflated prices through the front companies registered in the names of the co-accused. In one instance, a supplier informed auditors that printed paper cups were manufactured at a cost of Rs 0.66 per cup at Kavitha's instructions, but were billed to Yashoda Hospitals at Rs 0.86 per cup.
Financial Loss and Legal Action
Yashoda Hospitals estimated that purchase orders worth about Rs 4.71 crore were placed with three firms by Kavitha between May 2023 and March 2025, resulting in a loss of around Rs 1.1 crore. Based on the complaint, a case was registered against Kavitha, her husband, and three others under Sections 316(4) (Criminal breach of trust by clerk or servant), 336(3) (Forgery for purpose of cheating), 340(2) (Using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) read with 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on April 22.
A CCS official said, "The preliminary probe has clearly established the role of Kavitha in the crime. We have arrested her on Tuesday and she was sent in judicial remand. The case is under investigation."
