CBI Registers Case in Multi-Crore ECHS Scam After Tricity Raids
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has officially registered a case in the multi-crore Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) scam on Friday, following extensive raids at multiple hospitals and doctors' residences in the Tricity area. The raids, which commenced on Thursday and extended late into the night, have uncovered a widespread network of fraudulent activities involving fake medical records and inflated bills.
Fraudulent Practices Uncovered in Preliminary Probe
According to sources within the investigation team, the CBI recovered fake lab reports and fraudulent bills for expensive medicines during the searches. The agency discovered that ordinary patients were falsely documented as being kept in intensive care units (ICUs) and on ventilators. In a shocking revelation, the same patient was shown admitted multiple times across different hospitals, while some individuals had never been hospitalized despite records indicating otherwise.
An officer involved in the case stated, "The arrest of some prominent doctors isn't ruled out as the investigation progresses. The case was registered based on documents seized during the raids, which point to a large-scale fraud."
Private Agency and Diagnostic Centre Implicated
The investigation has revealed that a private agency was used to provide patients to Tricity hospitals for treatment under the ECHS scheme. This agency allegedly received commissions for referring patients to these hospitals, raising serious concerns about ethical practices in healthcare. During the raids, the CBI recovered fake stamps, digital signatures, and bills from a diagnostic centre located in Sector 38, Chandigarh.
Two doctors associated with a private healthcare company have been questioned in connection with the scam. Additionally, an employee working at the Sector 38 diagnostic centre has admitted to preparing fraudulent test reports by editing older ones. The CBI has seized hard disks containing these manipulated reports as part of the evidence collection process.
Scope of Fraud Extends Across North India
The ECHS treatment fraud is not limited to the Tricity area; it spans across the entire North region of India. After examining patient records from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh, the CBI has confirmed that the scam is widespread. The agency is now investigating whether the patients, for whose treatment hospitals received payments, were actually ailing at all.
Several private hospitals in the Tricity have been brought under the scanner, with the CBI preparing records of all doctors allegedly involved and the labs that prepared the fake reports. The preliminary probe indicates that the fraud was carried out on a large scale, involving systematic manipulation of medical documentation to siphon funds from the ECHS scheme.
As the investigation continues, the CBI is focusing on building a comprehensive case to hold those responsible accountable, with further arrests and legal actions expected in the coming days.
