Bengaluru's Central Crime Branch Exposed in ESIC Racket Involving Fake Health Cards
The Organised Crime Wing of Bengaluru's Central Crime Branch (CCB) recently cracked a sophisticated scheme involving several individuals, including an auditor, who fabricated non-existent companies to fraudulently enroll people in the state's Employee State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) program. This racket allowed hundreds of ineligible individuals to receive government-provided E-Pehchan health cards, entitling them to free medical facilities meant for legitimate beneficiaries.
According to a First Information Report (FIR), Sridhara V, a security guard at the ESIC hospital in Rajaji Nagar, allegedly operated this scam along with four associates. The CCB launched an investigation on November 1 after receiving an anonymous tip and found that Sridhara and his cohorts exploited flaws in the health card system to gain hundreds of people unauthorized access to ESIC benefits.
By forging records, the accused allowed hundreds of people to receive fake health cards by listing them as "employees" in four fabricated companies. Those who wanted to access free ESIC medical services were reportedly charged thousands by the accused. The main accused, Sridhara, used his influence to falsify records, and an auditor from Diwanarapalya, Yeshwanthpur, named Shashikala, helped create fake documents and insurance papers for the scheme.
A raid on her office uncovered numerous forged documents, revealing the scale of the fraud. Authorities estimated that the scam has cost the government lakhs of rupees, draining state resources while potentially keeping genuine employees from accessing these medical benefits.
The accused have been booked under cheating and forgery, with further investigation pending. This exposé highlights the need for increased vigilance in protecting public welfare programs like ESIC.
Separate Scandal Rocks Bengaluru Police
Meanwhile, a city-based RTI activist has filed a complaint with the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC), accusing officials from Bengaluru's Central Crime Branch (CCB) of demanding bribes and sexual favors from women detained during a May raid on a rave party near Bengaluru.
The KSHRC directed the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner to conduct a thorough inquiry into these allegations. The complaint, filed by Vijay Dennis, founder and president of the Karnataka RTI Workers Seva Samithi, alleges that CCB officials involved in the raid demanded bribes worth `10 lakh (approximately) and fabricated medical reports to incriminate detained women.
The KSHRC's directive calls for an unbiased investigation into the alleged misconduct by CCB officials during the raid. The allegations raise questions about accountability within the force and the need for increased transparency to prevent such abuses of power in the future.