An official probe has uncovered a massive scam in Madhya Pradesh where more than Rs 11 crore were fraudulently paid as compensation by declaring alive or fictitious individuals as dead due to snakebite.
Between 2019 and 2022, 21 people were arrested for exploiting government rules that grant Rs 4 lakh compensation to snakebite victims. The scam involved submitting 279 fake names to withdraw money from the treasury without proper verification of death certificates, police reports, or post-mortems.
Joint Director Rohit Singh Kaushal revealed that Sachin Dahayat, an assistant employee, was the key conspirator who manipulated the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) in collusion with officials.
Several “dead” people were found alive during the investigation. For instance, Sant Kumar Baghel from Malari village was declared dead officially, but was found alive and well. His family was shocked to learn of the fraudulent claims in his name.
The probe also found cases of multiple death certificates issued for the same individual, and some names like Dwarka Bai of Bichhua Raiyat village did not even exist, yet Rs 4 lakh was withdrawn 28 times under her name.
Keolari Police Station In-charge S S Ram Tekkar confirmed the fraudulent transfer of Rs 11.26 crore into 46 accounts. While 21 arrests have been made, efforts continue to apprehend 25 more suspects.
Officials urge strict action against corrupt officers to prevent such large-scale fraud in the future.
