The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has initiated criminal proceedings against eight individuals, including six current and former employees of the prestigious Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh. They stand accused of orchestrating a sophisticated fraud scheme, siphoning off approximately Rs 1.14 crore from funds specifically allocated for the treatment of impoverished and critically ill patients.
Modus Operandi: Fake Bills and Deceased Patients
According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered on Thursday following an extensive probe, the alleged scam operated for a considerable time within the institute's private grant cell. The primary method involved generating fake bills in the names of patients to illegally withdraw grant money. In a shocking revelation, the investigation found that in several instances, funds were withdrawn using the names of patients who had already passed away. In one specific case, over Rs 11 lakh was disbursed after the patient's death.
Furthermore, the CBI discovered that some individuals, in whose names grants were officially shown, had never actually received treatment at PGIMER. The probe also uncovered that a sum of Rs 19 lakh was withdrawn by individuals who falsely impersonated PGIMER employees and their acquaintances as relatives of patients.
The Accused and Legal Charges
The individuals named in the FIR include a mix of retired, contractual, and private persons. They are: Dharam Chand (retired junior administrative assistant); Sunil Kumar (contractual MRC); Pradeep Singh and Chetan Gupta (both contractual lower division clerks); Neha (contractual attendant); Gaganpreet Singh (contractual data entry operator); Durlabh Kumar (owner of a photocopy shop); and Sahil Sood, his partner.
The accused have been booked under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant), 420 (cheating), and 471 (using as genuine a forged document). Additionally, charges have been invoked under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (Section 13(1)(a) read with 13(2)).
How the Scam Unraveled
The fraud came to light when the husband of a beneficiary, Kamlesh Devi, approached the private grant cell to obtain medicines against a sanctioned grant of Rs 2.5 lakh. During verification, officials found that the manual file related to the grant had been destroyed and the digital record was deleted. It was discovered that Rs 2,01,839 had already been fraudulently transferred via RTGS to the bank account of an unrelated private individual named Niwas Yadav.
Subsequent investigation revealed staggering details:
- Rs 27.66 lakh was withdrawn in the names of three deceased patients.
- Rs 50.11 lakh was paid for medicines that were never prescribed to any patient.
- Approximately Rs 7 lakh was paid against completely fraudulent bills.
- Rs 62,328 was issued for the same treatment from two different files, one of which pertained to a deceased patient.
A Right to Information (RTI) application filed against contractual workers further exposed discrepancies, showing benefits were recorded in patients' names even when they received no treatment. Critical files and software records connected to these fraudulent transactions were later found to be missing.
This case highlights a severe breach of trust in a system designed as a lifeline for society's most vulnerable, raising serious questions about oversight and accountability in the management of charitable hospital grants.
