Who Was the Imposter Arrested for Forging Letters from the Delhi CM?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- The Delhi Police arrested an individual for forging letters from the Chief Minister's Office.
- The imposter charged vulnerable patients for referrals to private hospitals.
- Numerous counterfeit documents were recovered during the investigation.
- Authorities are investigating how such fraud can be prevented in the future.
- This incident highlights the need for enhanced protections for economically disadvantaged patients.
New Delhi, Nov 2 (NationPress) In a major turn of events, the Delhi Police have arrested an imposter who created forged letters on the official letterhead of the Delhi Chief Minister. He exploited these documents to instruct private hospitals to offer free treatment to needy patients.
This individual posed as a member of the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) and was caught after hospital staff became wary due to obvious errors in the recommendation letters he submitted.
The fraudster charged Rs 5,000 from impoverished patients, promising them referrals to private hospitals for complimentary treatment under the EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) scheme.
Under the guise of providing assistance, he issued letters for free treatment under EWS while impersonating an official from the CM office. He even used a fictitious number plate on his motorcycle. Authorities recovered numerous counterfeit letters printed on the CM's office letterhead from his possession.
The operation against this impersonator was initiated following a complaint lodged at the Civil Lines Police Station by Maharaja Agrasen Hospital officials.
Moreover, the hospital received a phone call from a suspicious mobile number, where the caller claimed to be Balbir Singh Rathee, an official from the CM Office in Delhi, instructing them to provide treatment to a patient under the EWS category.
The 27-year-old suspect, identified as Sonu, admitted during interrogation that he was employed as a Mali on a contract basis in the MCD Office, Karol Bagh Zone.
A few months earlier, he discovered a letter from the CM Office within the MCD office mail. He then pilfered it and crafted fake letters using the CM House letterhead to make easy money, specifically targeting patients unable to afford private hospital costs.
He deceived individuals into seeking treatment at private hospitals under the EWS scheme, providing them with counterfeit letters addressed to various hospitals, instructing them to grant free treatment. In exchange, he charged Rs 5,000 from each patient.
During questioning, he confessed to impersonating Balbir Singh Rathee, a supposed official from the CM House.
The suspect frequently loitered outside private hospitals, searching for vulnerable patients unable to pay for medical care.
He enticed them with promises of securing a letter from the CM office for free treatment at a cost of Rs 5,000. After gaining their approval, he utilized Google Translate to fill in patient details on the counterfeit letters.
In addition to the forged documents, the accused regularly contacted hospital administrations, demanding free treatment after obtaining their phone numbers through Google.