Patiala, Sept. 15: A financial scandal has rocked Rajindra Gymkhana & Mahindra Club in Patiala, where police have registered a case of fraud against two auditing firms accused of siphoning off lakhs of rupees from the club’s accounts.
According to police, the case was filed following a complaint by club president Deepak Kampani and vice president Vikas Puri, who alleged that former auditors colluded to divert funds without authorization. “When the police called us, we presented the entire record before them, and in the very first step scams of lakhs came to light,” Kampani said.
Patiala Police confirmed that an FIR was lodged after a detailed inquiry into complaints against Ashok Goel, Neeraj Jindal, Rajiv Goel and their firms—Goel & Associates and Goel Mahajan & Associates. Officials said sections 406, 420, 465, 467, 468, 471, and 120B of the IPC have been invoked.
A senior officer noted that the case was marked for investigation to an IPS-rank officer after preliminary findings established embezzlement.
“The case has been registered after complete investigation, and the accused will be arrested soon,” police officials said.
For years, the two firms handled the annual financial transactions of the club, which involve lakhs of rupees. Investigators say the auditors transferred ₹5.21 lakh from the club’s account to Goel Mahajan & Associates without management approval, and multiple other transactions worth lakhs were also diverted on separate dates.
The firms allegedly inflated their audit fees over time, from ₹1.5 lakh to ₹1.8 lakh and later to ₹1.93 lakh, and directly deducted the amounts from the club’s account. Records further show fake entries were created using the names of registration and counting houses to mislead management, allowing the fraud to continue for years.
The controversy surfaced after the new management took charge in October 2024. On the same day, the annual general meeting resolved to dismiss the auditors and appoint a new CA. However, the outgoing auditors contested their dismissal before the Registrar of Companies and reportedly withheld account records from the new committee.
Club officials said nine out of 12 committee members voted in favor of taking legal action, after which Kampani and Puri approached the Patiala SSP with their complaint.
Police sources confirmed that the scope of the inquiry has been widened, with investigators seeking club records from 2015 onwards. Two senior officers concluded that the fraud may not be confined to lakhs but could extend into crores.
“There is every possibility that this matter goes back a decade and involves much larger sums,” one police source noted. Officials added that many members of the old management may also face scrutiny.
Kampani said the accused firms had been associated with the club for nearly 30 years but failed to cooperate with the new committee. “These two companies, which audited the finances for decades, were dismissed by the members’ majority decision. Instead of handing over records, they filed a complaint against eight directors and went to the ROC,” he said.
He added that thousands of members were invested in ensuring transparency. “Our members treat the club like family. Everyone wants clarity—milk to be milk and water to be water,” Kampani noted.
