AGRA: A woman from Agra district has "delivered 25 times and undergone sterilisation five times within 30 months between 2021 and 2023", revealed official records at a community health centre in UP. The improbable data came to light after a recent financial audit found that fraudulent claims of Rs 45,000 -- under the govt's National Health Mission-run scheme -- were transferred to a bank account opened using fake documents in the name of a woman called Krishna Kumari.
The woman herself is a 35-year-old who gave birth to a child at the Fatehabad CHC in 2017 and knows nothing about the money. Her name was purportedly misused by the employees as part of the scam.
Following the disclosure, health officials launched an internal probe and subsequently filed a complaint at Fatehabad police station against five persons -- four of them health department employees. The fifth accused is an agent from the woman's village, Nagla Kadam, police said. He allegedly first opened Krishna's bank account and then withdrew govt dole from it. Three persons were arrested on Wednesday.
"Four accused, on contract, were posted at Fatehabad CHC while the fifth was an outsider. A thorough investigation is underway and efforts are on to find out whether there were more such cases," chief medical officer, Arun Srivastava, told TOI on Thursday.
A health official, privy to details, added the fraudulent claims could not have taken place without internal collusion. The involvement of more administrative staff, nurses and even doctors cannot be ruled out, he added.
The "scam" revolves around NHM's ‘Janani Suraksha Yojana' and ‘Mahila Sterilisation Incentive Scheme'. These schemes usually offer financial aid to women -- Rs 1,400 for rural delivery, Rs 1,000 for urban delivery and Rs 2,000 for a sterilisation procedure.
Police said Gaurav Thapa (block programme manager), Neeraj Awasthi (block accounting manager), Gautam Singh (data entry operator), and Azhar Ahmed (data entry operator at another CHC) were named in the FIR along with Ashok Kumar, the agent. Ashok was picked up by local cops. He led the health department team to the Fatehabad CHC, which resulted in the arrests of Neeraj and Gaurav.
A case was registered under BNS sections 318-4 (cheating and dishonesty), 338 (forgery of valuable securities, wills and other important documents), 336 (forgery, encompassing creation or alteration of documents or electronic records with fraudulent intent) against all the accused, added SHO of Fatehabad, DP Tiwari.
The woman herself is a 35-year-old who gave birth to a child at the Fatehabad CHC in 2017 and knows nothing about the money. Her name was purportedly misused by the employees as part of the scam.
Following the disclosure, health officials launched an internal probe and subsequently filed a complaint at Fatehabad police station against five persons -- four of them health department employees. The fifth accused is an agent from the woman's village, Nagla Kadam, police said. He allegedly first opened Krishna's bank account and then withdrew govt dole from it. Three persons were arrested on Wednesday.
"Four accused, on contract, were posted at Fatehabad CHC while the fifth was an outsider. A thorough investigation is underway and efforts are on to find out whether there were more such cases," chief medical officer, Arun Srivastava, told TOI on Thursday.
A health official, privy to details, added the fraudulent claims could not have taken place without internal collusion. The involvement of more administrative staff, nurses and even doctors cannot be ruled out, he added.
The "scam" revolves around NHM's ‘Janani Suraksha Yojana' and ‘Mahila Sterilisation Incentive Scheme'. These schemes usually offer financial aid to women -- Rs 1,400 for rural delivery, Rs 1,000 for urban delivery and Rs 2,000 for a sterilisation procedure.
Police said Gaurav Thapa (block programme manager), Neeraj Awasthi (block accounting manager), Gautam Singh (data entry operator), and Azhar Ahmed (data entry operator at another CHC) were named in the FIR along with Ashok Kumar, the agent. Ashok was picked up by local cops. He led the health department team to the Fatehabad CHC, which resulted in the arrests of Neeraj and Gaurav.
A case was registered under BNS sections 318-4 (cheating and dishonesty), 338 (forgery of valuable securities, wills and other important documents), 336 (forgery, encompassing creation or alteration of documents or electronic records with fraudulent intent) against all the accused, added SHO of Fatehabad, DP Tiwari.
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