Four ex-servicemen, 14 doctors booked for fraud in Amritsar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 4

The police have booked 24 persons, including 14 doctors and Army veterans, for misappropriation of funds released under the Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS).

An investigation carried out by the Army authorities found them guilty of cheating, forgery, mischief and breach of contract. The inquiry report was submitted to the Cantonment police here for lodging an FIR against the accused.

The doctors belonged to six private hospitals and a diagnostic centre which were empanelled by the Ministry of Defence under the ECHS for providing treatment to Army pensioners and veterans and their dependents.

The doctors who have been booked are Dr Gautam Verma, Dr Sunil Dutt, Dr Lakhbir Singh Randhawa, Dr Arshdeep Kaur, Dr Parminder Singh, Dr Surinder Gupta, Dr Sachin Gupta, Dr Manish Chanday, Dr Ashish Kumar, Dr Rakesh Madaan, Dr Susheel Mohindru, Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar, Dr Gurpreet and Dr Harmeet.

Others named in the FIR are Parveen Kumar; Subedar Kashmir Singh (retd); Salwinder Singh Sandhu Sarpanch of Sarli Khurd village in Tarn Taran; Subedar Satwinder Singh (retd), Parkash Kaur and her husband Naik Shinda Singh (retd) of Butala village; Amarjit Singh of Gaggarbhana village; Sepoy Jagroop Singh of Lalpura village; Jatinder Singh of Neelkanth Hospital; and Baljinder Singh, a photocopy shop owner.

In his complaint to the police, Brig MD Upadhyay, Station Commander, Station Headquarters, Amritsar Cantonment, said during an internal investigation conducted by the complainant in the matter, all accused were found guilty of connivance and misappropriating government funds. He alleged that they fabricated the records of admission of ECHS card-holders.

“The doctors made fraudulent admissions with an intention of fraud,” the complainant alleged while adding that Jalandhar Army authorities had already issued “Stop referral” letters to the hospitals in May and September this year.