Representative image of fraud.
Credit: iStock Photo
Bengaluru: The Bengaluru Central Crime Branch (CCB) has busted a racket involved in creating fake job certificates to fraudulently issue Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) cards to non-beneficiaries.
Acting on leads about the operation, a team led by Srinivas Gowda, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Crime 2, gathered details and swooped down on the suspects, resulting in the arrests.
The Organised Crime Wing (OCW) of the CCB arrested Sridhar, a retired army officer who was recruiting individuals for the scheme. Following his statement, the CCB also arrested Ramesh BK, 54, Chandra Kumar SH, 37, and Shivaganga, 38.
The police said the suspects, all employed in various hospitals across Bengaluru, had devised the scam in 2018.
Ramesh initially ran the operation, which was paused during the pandemic, but resumed in 2022 with Sridhar’s involvement, broadening its reach.
To qualify for an ESIC card, applicants must have a job with a monthly salary below Rs 21,000, allowing access to medical facilities within the ESIC network. The suspects targeted underprivileged patients visiting private hospitals, offering to obtain ESIC cards for a nominal fee. They fabricated job certificates by creating fake companies, allowing them to issue ESIC cards using fraudulent documents.
The police said the suspects charged each “beneficiary” Rs 500 monthly as a service fee. Through this operation, they allegedly issued 869 ESIC cards based on fake documentation.