New Delhi, Nov 2 (IANS) In a significant development, the Delhi Police have apprehended an imposter for documenting forged recommendations on the official letterhead of the Delhi Chief Minister and used it to instruct private hospitals for free treatment to poor patients.
The imposter presented himself as a staff member from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) and was nabbed after hospital authorities got suspicious of him over the glaring mistakes in the recommendation letters that he sent to hospitals.
He used to charge Rs 5, 000 from poor and vulnerable patients for referring them to private hospitals for free treatment under the EWS category.
The accused gave letters to such people for free treatment under the EWS category. He impersonated himself as an official from the CM office and also used his fake identity in calling the hospital authorities. He also used a fake number plate on his motorcycle. Several fake letters on the letterhead of the CM's office have been recovered from his custody.
The action against the impersonator followed after a complaint was filed at the Civil Lines Police station by the Maharaja Agrasen Hospital authorities.
The hospital management also received a phone call from a suspected mobile number and the caller introduced himself as Balbir Singh Rathee, an official of the CM Office/Delhi, and he directed the hospital authorities to provide treatment for the above patient under the EWS category.
The 27-year-old accused named Sonu was subjected to sustained interrogation in which he disclosed that he works as a Mali on a contract basis in the MCD Office, Karol Bagh Zone.
A few months before, he found a letter from the CM Office/Delhi in the Dak of the MCD office. He stole it and prepared fake/forged blank letters using the letterhead of CM House to earn easy money. He used to target the patients who were unable to afford treatment in private hospitals.
He induced them to get treatment in a private hospital under the EWS category and gave them fake letters prepared on the letterhead of the CM Office/Delhi, addressed to different private hospitals with the direction to provide free treatment to the patient. In return, he took Rs 5000 from every patient.
During interrogation, the accused disclosed that he impersonated himself as Balbir Singh Rathee, an official of CM House.
The accused used to roam outside private hospitals in search of vulnerable patients who were unable to afford treatment in a private hospital.
He lured them into a deal stating that he would arrange a letter from the CM office, for free treatment for Rs 5000. After getting their consent, he used Google Translate to put the details of the patient in the fake letter.
Apart from the fake letters, the accused person often made calls to Hospital Administrations, directing them to provide free treatment by obtaining their phone numbers from Google.