medical bills.
Credit: iStock photo
Bengaluru: A 59-year-old man from Nelamangala has been arrested for submitting fake medical bills and documents to fraudulently claim money from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
The suspect, G Dhananjaya, allegedly forged documents and submitted fake hospital bills to obtain financial assistance meant for patients in need of emergency medical treatment, a senior police officer told DH.
Police have identified four other suspects — Kyathanna, Jayamma, Yashodamma and Chandrashekar — all from Bengaluru Rural district. Kyathanna and another suspect passed away a few months ago while Dhananjaya allegedly submitted a fresh application to claim benefits for the second time.
Police investigations revealed that Dhananjaya, who had completed the Teacher Training Course, approached individuals who had undergone treatment in private hospitals in Yeshwantpur and collected their details.
He later created forged documents using similar names and submitted them to the chief minister’s home office ‘Krishna’ to claim relief funds.
In May this year, officials in the CMO detected discrepancies in a few applications but were unable to trace their source. On November 5, Dhananjaya reportedly visited the CM’s office located on the second floor of Vidhana Soudha to inquire about the delay in crediting funds to a beneficiary linked to an application he had submitted.
The staff reportedly found the inquiries suspicious and notified the Vidhana Soudha police, who registered a case the same day.
Dhananjaya was picked up for questioning, and police discovered that he had collected Aadhaar, bank account details and other documents from many people under the pretext of helping them obtain the relief fund.
Dhananjaya allegedly demanded a fixed commission — Rs 50,000 — from each beneficiary once the amount was sanctioned. He used the money for his living expenses, a police officer said.
Police are also investigating whether he was involved in similar offences in the past.