Mumbai police have lodged a case of cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy against Piyush Jain, CEO of the crowdfunding platform Impact Guru, along with two others, Nikhat Khan and Naufil Kazi.
These accused allegedly misused money collected for the treatment of a four-month-old child in the name of Spinal Muscular Atrophy, SMA-1.
The case was lodged based on a complaint by a social worker named Arif Shaikh, who heads Navtarang Charitable Trust.
Shaikh claims the trio collected ₹4.5 crore from donors as they claimed to be paying for the medical treatment for “Inara Kazi,” a child they said had been admitted to Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai.
Here’s What Happened!
In January 2024, Nikhat Khan and Naufil Kazi approached Shaikh, posing as parents of the child and requesting him to help raise ₹17 crore for treatment.
When Shaikh asked for official hospital documents to verify the expenses, the couple failed to provide them, prompting him to decline their request.
Days after, Shaikh chanced upon a social media campaign which called for the same fundraising effort. A post on former actress Sana Khan’s Instagram profile urged followers to donate for the child’s treatment with personal bank account details to contribute to the effort.
Being curious about the authenticity of the claim, Shaikh contacted Hinduja Hospital and learned that no patient named Inara Kazi was being treated for SMA-1. The hospital also confirmed that crowdfunding campaigns should only include official hospital accounts, not personal ones.
Jain, Khan, and Kazi allegedly took online payments worth ₹4.5 crore between January and June 2024. Investigations proved that the amount was being siphoned into their personal accounts instead of being utilized to treat the child.
Shaikh approached the Kurla Magistrate Court, which asked the Matunga Police Station to register a case under Section 156(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code. On receiving this directive, the police registered an FIR against the accused for cheating, forgery, and breach of trust.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 4) Raghasudha confirmed the case and said that the authorities are tracing the flow of funds to ensure accountability. The accused will be questioned regarding their role in the alleged scam.
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