Bengaluru has witnessed a major crackdown on corruption, as the Central Crime Branch (CCB) exposed a sophisticated ESIC health card scam and launched an investigation into allegations of police misconduct involving sexual favours and bribes during a raid on a rave party.
The Organised Crime Wing (OCW) of the Bengaluru CCB recently uncovered a massive fraudulent scheme where non-existent companies were created to enroll ineligible individuals in the Employee State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) program. These individuals were then illegally provided with E-Pehchan health cards, granting them access to free medical services meant for legitimate workers. The racket, which operated for nearly two years, exploited the flaws in the ESIC system, allowing individuals to bypass eligibility requirements and gain unauthorized medical benefits.
According to the FIR filed in the case, the fraud was orchestrated by Sridhara V, a security guard at the ESIC hospital in Rajaji Nagar, who, along with four associates, set up four fake companies on paper. These companies listed hundreds of individuals as employees, enabling them to receive government-provided health cards. The scam’s masterminds charged thousands of rupees from those wanting access to ESIC services. Investigators also discovered that Shashikala, an auditor from Yeshwanthpur, was directly involved in fabricating fake documents and insurance papers for the fraudulent scheme. A raid on Shashikala’s office uncovered numerous forged records, indicating the scale of the operation.
The estimated loss to the government due to this scam runs into lakhs of rupees, with concerns that the fraud may have deprived genuine workers of the medical services they were entitled to. The accused have been charged with cheating and forgery, and further investigations are ongoing.
In a separate incident, a group of CCB officials is now under investigation after an RTI activist, Vijay Dennis, filed a complaint with the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC). The complaint accuses CCB officials of demanding bribes and sexual favours from women detained during a raid on a rave party earlier this year.
The raid took place on May 19, at the GR Farmhouse in Hebbagodi, near Electronic City, where a birthday party was being held. The event, hosted by Hyderabad-based L Vasu, was shut down by the police, who detained 101 individuals and arrested five people. Blood samples were collected to test for illicit drug use, and among the detained was Telugu actress Hema Kolla, who tested positive for narcotics. She, along with 85 others, was subsequently charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
According to the complaint filed by Vijay Dennis, the CCB officers allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs10 lakh and sexual favours from the women detainees. The RTI activist also claimed that the officials fabricated medical reports to incriminate the women. The KSHRC has directed the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter and submit a report by November 21.
