4 held for forging health card of army personnel’s kin

Four people were arrested for using a deceased ex-serviceman's ECHS card to cover a ₹6.5 lakh hospital bill in Greater Noida.

Greater Noida: Four people were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly using the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) card of an Aligarh-based former Army personnel’s daughter, to pay a ₹6.5 lakh bill at a Greater Noida hospital in August 2025, police said.

When the siblings were interrogated, it was revealed that they had come in contact with one Danish (single name), a BPharma-educated, through a relative. “Since they were dealing with a financial crisis, they learned about Danish, who could help in paying the bill on a commission of 10 to 15 per cent of the total amount. They paid him ₹1 lakh for his service,” the officer added. (HT Photo)

Police identified the suspects as Shikha Singh, 25, her brother Yash Singh, 20, both residents of Nandgram in Ghaziabad; Jitendra Yadav, 31, a resident of Firozabad, and Danish, 22, a resident of Bulandshahr.

The incident came to light around a fortnight ago, when the ex-serviceman’s 22-year-old daughter had to be taken to a hospital in Aligarh for health issues. But they were informed that her ECHS card had been closed due to a death certificate issued in her name, police said.

The health card is issued for retired armed forces personnel and their dependents.

On enquiring about the reason behind the card’s closure, Sunder Singh, ex-serviceman, found that a death certificate was issued at a Greater Noida hospital.

“As we received a complaint from Singh, a case under sections of cheating and forgery of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered at Bisrakh police station on March 15. A team was formed to investigate,” said Pawan Kumar, assistant commissioner of police (ACP), Central Noida.

“Investigation revealed that two Ghaziabad siblings (Shikha and Yash) had admitted their sister Tanu, who was in her early 20s, to a Sector 1 hospital in Greater Noida on July 27. But after few days, Tanu died at the hospital on August 5. To pay her hospital bill of ₹6.5 lakh, Shalini’s ECHS card was used,” the ACP added.

When the siblings were interrogated, it was revealed that they had come in contact with one Danish (single name), a BPharma-educated, through a relative. “Since they were dealing with a financial crisis, they learned about Danish, who could help in paying the bill on a commission of 10 to 15 per cent of the total amount. They paid him ₹1 lakh for his service,” the officer added

Danish, who was involved in making fake ECHS cards with his accomplices Jitendra, and Pradeep, the son of a former Army personnel, had come in contact with the victim Sunder Singh in 2025 and accessed his documents.

“Danish used to pose as an ambulance driver to easily access the patient’s documents and forge them with the help of Jitendra and Pradeep, who have knowledge of ECHS cards,” said ACP Kumar, adding that they had been involved in ECHS card fraud for the past two years.

Police said they are investigating how many fake ECHS cards the group used to earn easy money, adding that efforts are underway to nab Pradeep and further investigation is on.