Mumbai: Cheating FIR against NGO founder for duping acid attack victims of lakhs

Lalitaben Bansi did not receive any of the money collected in her nameA month after several acid attack victims opened up to midday and exposed how they had been cheated by the NGO Make Love Not Scars the Mumbai Police have finally booked the founder This paper had revealed how the NGO had collected donations under the pretext of helping the victims but kept all or most of the money After the report the organisation pledged to give the victims their moneyDaulat Bi Khan the complainantOn Saturday the Bandra police registered an FIR against the founder of Make Love Not Scars MLNS Ria Sharma under sections 406 criminal breach of trust and 420 cheating of the IPC The move came after the victims met the commissioner of policeAlso read Mumbai Another acid attack victim claims money from NGO never reached herRia Sharma uses photos and stories of acid attack victims and publishes them on her NGOs website to raise donations internationally but the victims doesnt get any money alleged the complainant Daulat Bi Khan who runs the NGO Acid Survivors Saahas FoundationRia Sharma founder of Make Love Not ScarsNever gave the moneymidday broke the story on November 27 highlighting how the Delhibased NGO had collected Rs 108 lakh for acid attack survivor Zakira Shaikh but didnt hand over the money to her Whats more they had uploaded her pictures online without asking for her or her familys permissionOn November 29 Daulat Bi Khan and several other victims came forward with similar allegations One of these victims is Lalitaben Bansi for whom MLNS had raised R11 lakh As with the other victims Bansi did not receive this moneyBansi told me that in 2014 when she was undergoing treatment at Bombay Hospital Sharma told her that her NGO could raise funds for her surgery Trusting Sharma Bansi narrated her entire ordeal Sharma took her photograph and told her that the money would be raised soon A few days later Sharma said they had raised Rs 11 lakh which would soon be transferred to her But Sharma never gave the money When Bansi called her again she pretended to not recognise her Khan told the policeLike Bansi photos of me and other survivors Reshma Shaikh Saira Bano Irfan Arati Kishore Thakur Shabbo Shaikh and Siddharth Sasane were misused After we explained our ordeal to Commissioner of Police Datta Padsalgikar he took cognisance of the matter and within a few days our FIR was registered she addedStop toying with usBansi 25 was attacked in 2012 by her 15yearold cousin who flung acid on her after a petty argument She suffered nearly 80 per cent burnsShe told midday People like Sharma play with the emotions of acid attack victims She used my photographs and stories on her website She even posted photos of my marriage as if she and not my friends had done all those things for meEarlier Sharma had told midday that while they had raised Rs 11 lakh for Bansi the money was still with the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo This corroborated Bansis claims that the money never reached herThe other sideRia Sharma founder of the NGO Make Love Not Scars claimed that she was being framed We generally dont give money directly to victims as in the past family members have misused the donation money We directly send the money to the hospital But we lost faith in the doctor and so didnt send the money That money is not with me it is with the fundraiser I am innocent and have all the evidence to back it up she saidOn allegations of misusing victims photos on the NGOs website Sharma said she had never met those victims I am being intimidated by the complainant Daulat Bi Khan She even threatened me I only help people and dont even take salary for my workRs 11 lakhAmount the NGO owes Lalita BansiCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news current affairs from Mumbai local news crime news and breaking headlines hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go