The Vishrantwadi police in Pune are investigating a case where a disgruntled employee allegedly made unauthorized changes to the Yerawada Regional Mental Hospital’s internal online system using his cellphone and the official WiFi network. The changes resulted in nine staff members being falsely shown as terminated, leading to their salaries being withheld for three months.
Incident Details
Senior inspector Yuvraj Hande of the Vishrantwadi police station stated that a resentful employee was responsible for the crime. The alterations were made in February 2024 but came to light three months later. It took two years to identify the individual involved due to various impediments in the investigation.
Complaint and Investigation
The office superintendent of the Regional Mental Hospital filed a complaint with the Vishrantwadi police. The complainant reported that someone hacked and modified the hospital’s internal online system, which is part of the state health department. The affected employees, including clerks and nurses, were shown as terminated, and their salaries were not credited for three months.
Hande told TOI, “The case was transferred to our police station, and we have initiated further legal action.” A hospital official from Yerawada RMH declined to comment, stating that the police are investigating the matter.
Police Findings
The First Information Report (FIR) reveals that hospital authorities notified the state government treasury officials in Mumbai about the non-receipt of salaries by nine employees. Upon investigation, the officials informed the hospital that the online system indicated the employees’ services had been terminated, which is why salaries were not credited.
Senior inspector Swapnali Shinde of the Pune cyber police said, “We received a complaint application and investigated. We found out that an unhappy employee of the hospital was behind the changes. The suspect used his cellphone and the hospital internet connection to alter the data of the employees.”
