(MENAFN- Live Mint) A contractual employee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was arrested for forging official letterheads of the Chief Minister's Office as scamming patients of financially weaker backgrounds by promising them free treatment under the EWS quota at private hospitals, an official said on Sunday.

The accused has been identified as Sonu, 27, a resident of Tagore Garden in Delhi. He was arrested on October 30 after a complaint from the Delhi CMO, the official said.

During their investigation, police found that Sonu had written five such fake letters to hospital over the past 1.5 months, including Action Balaji (Paschim Vihar), Maharaja Agrasen (Punjabi Bagh), BLK Max (Karol Bagh), Mata Chanan Devi (Janakpuri), and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (Old Rajinder Nagar).

How did the case unfold?

Police said that the matter came into light after Punjabi Bagh-based Maharaja Agrasen Hospital sent an email to the CMO seeking to verify the letter they had received recommending free treatment to a patient, Shyam Shankar, under the EWS category.

"The letter bore the forged signature of the top officials of the CM's offic. The hospital authorities grew suspicious as the letter contained spelling mistakes, inconsistent fonts, and improper alignment," Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia in a statement said.

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The officer further said that they also received a phone call from a man identifying himself as Balbir Singh Rathee from the CM Office, who directed them to proceed with the treatment.

Finding the communication dubious, the hospital reached out to the CM Office for verification.

Subsequently, Officer on Special Duty to the Chief Minister, SC Vashishtha, lodged a complaint at the Civil Lines police station, alleging that someone had fraudulently prepared forged letters using the official letterhead of the CM's office, according to a statement.

How did police catch the culprit?

A case was registered, and an investigation was taken up. A team, during the probe, questioned the patient Shyam Shankar, who said his wife, Anju, had obtained the letter from a person named Sonu.

The team traced the mobile numbers used by the caller to the Karol Bagh area, where Sonu was found to be employed as a contractual mali (gardener) in the MCD office.

When the team conducted a raid on October 29, the accused managed to flee, leaving behind his bag and motorcycle.

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The team tracked him to Tagore Garden and apprehended him the following day. His mobile phone, which contained records of impersonation calls and additional active numbers, was seized.

"During interrogation, Sonu revealed that he had found an original CM Office letter in the MCD's dak section a few months ago and decided to use it to create forged copies to earn money," said the DCP.

He used to target poor patients outside private hospitals who were unable to afford treatment. He would promise them free admission under the EWS category through the CM Office for ₹5,000 per case.

The accused admitted to using applications to translate to fill patient details on fake letters and also impersonating himself as an official named Balbir Singh Rathee while calling hospital administrators to press for approval.

He also disclosed that he used a motorcycle with a fake registration plate to avoid being traced.

Items recovered from his possession include one mobile phone with dual SIM cards, several forged CM Office letters, an original letterhead bearing the signature of an Officer-In-Charge, a fake MCD identity card, a fake Haryana government ID card, and a motorcycle with tampered number plates, police added.

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Sonu, originally from Badli in Jhajjar, Haryana, had dropped out of school after his father died in 1999. Before moving to Delhi in 2023, he had worked as a chowkidar and gardener in Bahadurgarh for five years.

He lives with his wife and son in a rented accommodation in Tagore Garden, police said. Further investigation is underway to identify others, if any.

Key Takeaways

• The importance of verifying official communications to prevent fraud.
• The vulnerabilities of financially weaker patients in accessing healthcare.
• The need for stricter regulations and checks within public service departments.

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