When Dr Farokh Dhondy died over 15 years ago his will specified that his bungalow at Bandra Bandstand be made into a hospital for the poor. But Dhondy House left behind by the popular and caring physician valued by some at Rs 150 crores attracted the attention of scamsters and has once again become embroiled in a police inquiry.
According to a report in The Times of India (TOI) of March 22 this year the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Bombay police has filed a cheating case against Shapoor Irani, realty consultant Mukesh Alimchandani and lawyer J. K. Nathani. "This is the second time a cheating and land grab case has been registered for the same bungalow,” noted TOI. "In 2014, one Farooq Motiwala had also (allegedly) falsely claimed that he bought the bungalow from Dhondy’s siblings. He was arrested in 2016… The fresh case pertains to (alleged) forged documents to grab the property.”
Dhondy’s registered will was left with his lawyer friend Vijay Desai, states the report. The three executors were Hoshang Baria, Krushi (sic) Gandhi and Shahrukh Engineer.
Dhondy House Photo: Simin Patel
"In 2010, Dhondy’s solicitor filed a probate suit after which one Shapoor Irani filed a petition, claiming to be executor of the will. The petitions are pending in the Bombay High Court,” TOI reported. "Desai told the police that Irani submitted (an allegedly) bogus death certificate and will of Dhondy and challenged the real will. Police said Irani submitted that Dhondy died on December 7, 2004. Desai also alleged that Irani had submitted some forged letters to the Charity Commissioner. Desai said alterations were made to entries of Dhondy’s documents in the register of the Charity Commissioner. It strengthened his belief that they were fake. Desai’s complaint says Irani (allegedly) submitted bogus documents, through Nathani.
"In 2014, Irani through his lawyers allegedly put pressure on Desai’s lawyer and made her a (monetary) offer to drop the case. One of Irani’s lawyers (allegedly) spilled the beans on Irani and Alimchandani. The police claimed she confessed that Alimchandani had forged Dhondy’s documents for Irani. ‘We’ve just begun the probe,’” an EOW officer, was quoted by TOI.
Dhondy was a popular and well liked physician. In Parsiana’s Readers’ Forum column of October 2003 letter writer Noshir Lam had written: "Dhondy became a doctor in 1947, thus fulfilling his father’s dream of having a doctor in the family. His first step as a doctor was to go to the fire temple and take the Hippocratic Oath. He had graduated from the Grant Medical College… For the next 35 years the good doctor practiced at Kemp’s Corner and looked after the health of not only the common man, but his patients included several well-known Europeans… On the last day before the doctor retired there was a crowd of about 200 persons assembled around his dispensary, looking sad and gloomy.
"Today at 84 years of age and being the last surviving member of his family, the doctor has decided that after him his bungalow would be used as a dispensary or for medical research.”
In our January 2004 issue reader Khorshed R. K. S. Ghandhi stated, "He is such a good, kind man, and a dedicated doctor, who became our family friend as well as physician. He looked after four generations of my family… The children adored him… Family doctors, such as he, seem to be a vanishing species, but I hope they will always be there in our hour of need.”
Journalist Sherene Vakil who, with her siblings, spent school vacations at their grandparents’ home in Bandra recalls Dhondy, in the 1950s, as a kind, gentle, smiling doctor. "Whenever he made a house visit to attend to an ailing family member, there was much suppressed excitement among the preteen granddaughters because he was so good looking!”