Bengaluru’s Central Crime Branch (CCB) police have arrested four individuals involved in a fraudulent racket that exploited the Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) scheme by creating fake health cards and documents. The accused were reportedly duping the state exchequer by registering non-existent companies and fabricating health cards to avail government medical benefits.
The arrested suspects have been identified as Sridhar, a security guard at the ESIC Hospital in Rajajinagar; Ramesh, a canteen owner; Shivlinga, a former employee of Ramaiah Hospital; and Chandru. Notices have also been issued for two more individuals involved—Shweta and Sasikala, an auditor.
Investigations revealed that the accused registered fake companies on the government website under bogus names, and created fake ESIC cards for patients. They charged between Rs 10,000 to Rs 2 lakh for preparing these cards. However, when it came to payments, they collected Rs 500 from each patient but deposited only Rs 280 into the ESIC account, pocketing the remaining Rs 220 for themselves. The fake cards allowed patients to illegally avail themselves of government medical treatment benefits.
The police launched their investigation after receiving a complaint about irregularities in the creation of ESIC cards. It was discovered that Sasikala, the auditor, had been running this fraudulent operation from her home for the past two years.
City Police Commissioner B. Dayananda confirmed that the four arrested individuals had fabricated fake ESIC cards and documents for 869 people over the last two years. During the raid, police recovered fake company seals, doctor stamps, four laptops, Rs 59,500 in cash, and several fake ESIC cards and documents.
The ESI scheme provides medical benefits to workers and their families earning less than Rs 21,000 a month in recognized factories or companies.
