FIR Filed Against Private Hospital Owner and Family for Threatening Income Tax Officials

During a search operation carried out by the Income Tax Department in December 2024, the Ludhiana police registered a case on Wednesday against the owner of Sofat Hospital, one of the well-known private hospitals in Ludhiana, and three of his family members.

According to the complaint, the hospital owner, along with his wife, son, and daughter-in-law, allegedly refused to cooperate with the Income Tax Officials. They also threatened them during the proceedings. The FIR states that the accused stopped the income tax officers during the search operation.

The FIR was registered by Anurag Dhindsa, Deputy Director of Income Tax (Investigation-I), based on a complaint. As per the FIR, the Income Tax Department carried out a search operation on December 18, 2024, at both the Hospital and the Home of the owner, during which the officers filed complaints accusing the family of misbehaviour and misconduct during the proceedings.

The Senior IT officer claimed that the hospital owner and his son threatened him many times, warning him of serious harm if the search continued. The son also claimed that he has a strong connection with the police and the judiciary and that he would file false sexual harassment cases against the officers. He even warned that, being a doctor, he could make false claims that he and his wife and his mother had been hurt by the Income Tax Officials.

These threats, according to the FIR, were made to prevent the officials from doing their search and to disturb the ongoing search. In addition, the family members also refused to give or sign any statements.

During the raid, Dr Amit, Dr. Ruchika, and Dr. Rama insisted on going to the hospital, claiming that they had patients to attend, but they were never stopped from working. However, Dr Amit and Dr Ruchika did not cooperate as they were constantly refusing to answer basic questions or share passwords for the Marg ERP software.

When Dr Ruchika was asked about a locked room storing the IVF injections, she became angry and accused officials of using abusive language, a claim denied by witnesses, including a lady constable and a nurse.