Ahmedabad:The city crime branch has arrested six men on Tuesday in connection with the deaths of two Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) beneficiaries following alleged “unnecessary” angioplasty procedures at Khyati Hospital, a private hospital in Ahmedabad.
In total, eight people have been arrested so far in relation to the deaths and the card fraud. “Khyati Hospital have allegedly made ₹11 crore in 18 months, with 70% of the revenue coming from PM-JAY patients,” said Ajit Rajian, deputy commissioner of police (DCP) of the crime branch.
Three separate cases were registered at Vastrapur police station after the deaths of Nagarbhai Senma (59) and Mahesh Barot (45) following angioplasty at Khyati Hospital on November 12 that was allegedly “not required” but was carried out to “exploit the PM-JAY scheme”, said Rajian.
The Ahmedabad Crime Branch, with assistance from a government-appointed medical team, is investigating after the commissioner of police transferred the case.
It was discovered that Senma and Barot had attended a free medical camp organised by the hospital in Borisana (Kadi) on November 10.
“Mehul Patel, a PM-JAY desk employee, told police that hospital director Kartik Patel had instructed Chirag Rajput to team up with Nimesh Dodiya and create fake PM-JAY cards for ₹1,500– ₹2,000 each, with Dodiya earning ₹1,000 per card. Dodiya operated online portals and used WhatsApp and Telegram to connect with individuals involved in the scheme, including Mohammad Fazal, Asfaque, Narendra Singh Gohil, Imtiyaz, and Imran. These six individuals, including Dodiya, were arrested for exploiting technical vulnerabilities in the government portal to create 1,200–1,500 fake cards, said Rajian.
{{/usCountry}}“Mehul Patel, a PM-JAY desk employee, told police that hospital director Kartik Patel had instructed Chirag Rajput to team up with Nimesh Dodiya and create fake PM-JAY cards for ₹1,500– ₹2,000 each, with Dodiya earning ₹1,000 per card. Dodiya operated online portals and used WhatsApp and Telegram to connect with individuals involved in the scheme, including Mohammad Fazal, Asfaque, Narendra Singh Gohil, Imtiyaz, and Imran. These six individuals, including Dodiya, were arrested for exploiting technical vulnerabilities in the government portal to create 1,200–1,500 fake cards, said Rajian.
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Chirag Patel, who was already arrested in connection with the deaths of the two patients, remains in custody, while Kartik Patel, a key suspect, is absconding. Nikhil Parekh, an employee of Enser Communication Pvt. Ltd. (which handles the creation of Ayushman Bharat cards), who illegally provided login credentials for ₹8,000– ₹10,000 per month, is also on the run.
On November 10, a free medical camp was held in Borisana village, Mehsana district, where 19 villagers were brought in for angiography procedures, allegedly to exploit the PM-JAY scheme, which offers health insurance coverage up to ₹5 lakh. Of the 19, 12 underwent angiography at Khyati Hospital, and seven later underwent angioplasty. This led to the deaths of Senma and Barot in November, according to officers.
The hospital authorities are yet to respond to HT. The hospital has been sealed and the directors are either behind bars or absconding.