MP couple fakes death of children to get flood relief

Tribune News Service

Haridwar, November 26

A case of fake beneficiaries seeking 2013 disaster relief from the Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh governments has come to light.

Ram Kripal, a labourer, and his wife Vidya, hailing from Chhatarpur, MP, were working in the Kedarnath valley when the 2013 flash floods struck. Ram Kripal claimed that he had lost two sons in the disaster.

After the whereabouts of the children could not be ascertained for more than three months, as per the government norms of assessment of relief fund criteria, both the children were assumed dead and thus the couple was granted the aid by the Uttarakhand Government.

As the Madhya Pradesh Government had also announced relief to people hailing from the state, the labourer was provided additional relief.

However, the couple was arrested from Vishnu Ghat on Monday when Ram Kripal was in an inebriated condition and was quarreling with his wife.

When brought to the city police station, both said they were quarreling over sharing the funds.

Though their five children were safe but in order to avail benefit from the state governments, Ram Kripal concocted the story of his two children getting lost in the floods.

As a result, he got a cheque of Rs 4 lakh from the Uttarakhand Government and one of Rs 3 lakh from the Madhya Pradesh Government.

Haridwar SSP Senthil Abudai K Prakash said the couple had distributed relief money amounting to Rs 2 lakh among their relatives.

The couple had confessed that they had given Rs 82,000 to two police personnel of Madhya Pradesh who were investigating the case.

“The Uttarakhand Police has initiated the process to send the five children of the arrested couple to a Child Reform Home, for which the court and other legal procedures are being adhered to. The police are looking for similar fake beneficiaries, if any,” the SSP added.