The Uttar Pradesh Police have arrested three individuals involved in a scam related to government-run welfare schemes, including the Janani Suraksha Yojana and the Women’s Sterilisation Incentive Programme. The accused have been identified as Gaurav Thapa, the block program manager, Neeraj Awasthi, the block accounts manager, and Ashok, a resident of Nagla Kadam village. A fourth individual, Gautam Singh, a data entry operator, is still at large.
The National Health Mission (NHM) provides financial assistance to women in rural and urban areas for childbirth and sterilisation procedures. Women in rural areas are eligible for Rs 1,400, while those in urban areas receive Rs 1,000 for childbirth. For female sterilisation procedures, a Rs 2,000 incentive is provided. The assistance is directly transferred to the beneficiary’s bank account.
However, a financial audit conducted at the Fatehabad Community Health Centre in Agra uncovered suspicious activity. The audit revealed that a woman had allegedly delivered 25 times and undergone five sterilisations within just 30 months, collecting a total of Rs 45,000 in government incentives. This raised red flags and pointed to a potential scam.
Police investigation revealed that the accused had opened bank accounts in the names of women from self-help groups, registered their phone numbers, and transferred the government incentives to their own accounts through UPI. Once they had accumulated a significant sum, the money was withdrawn and divided among the accused.
During interrogation, the accused confessed to their involvement in the scam, revealing their methods of defrauding the government welfare programs.
