The Special Task Force (STF) has uncovered a major fraud ring involved in creating fake cards under the Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), causing losses of crores of rupees to the government. On Thursday, the STF arrested seven individuals, including the ringleader, a cyber café operator, from the Khargapur area of Gomti Nagar Extension.
The Scam Uncovered
According to the STF, the gang had manufactured over 2,000 fraudulent Ayushman cards for ineligible beneficiaries. Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Vishal Vikram Singh stated that three teams are currently searching for other absconding members of the network. The investigation revealed that the gang exploited loopholes in the verification process and bribed officials at various levels to approve the fraudulent cards.
Modus Operandi: From Cyber Cafe To Corruption
During interrogation, the ringleader, Chandrabhan Verma, revealed that he opened a cyber cafe in Khargapur in 2024. He stumbled upon the scheme while visiting Lohia Hospital for his sister's treatment, where he saw a poster offering Ayushman cards via a contact number.
The Initial Deal: Verma contacted the number and was told an ineligible person could get a card for Rs 3,000. He tested this by charging a customer Rs 6,000, paying the contact Rs 3,000, and successfully generating a card that was used for free treatment.
Technical Manipulation: Verma explained that they used a specific portal to add members to eligible families. They bypassed the OTP sent to the legitimate family head and instead used the Aadhaar OTP of the ineligible person being added.
The Approval Chain: Once the ineligible member was added, the request went to the Implementation Support Agency (ISA) for approval. The gang had insiders there who approved the cards for a bribe.
The Bribery Network
Verma detailed the specific costs and contacts involved in the operation:
ISA Connection: Verma met Rajesh Mishra, an executive at the ISA (Medi Assist Insurance TPA Pvt Ltd). Mishra agreed to approve added members for a fee. Initially, the bribe was Rs 1,500 per card, which later rose to Rs 2,000.
New Contacts: After Mishra left his job in August 2025, the approvals were handled by Saurabh Maurya and Sujit Kanojia, serving executives at Medi Assist, for the same rates.
High-Level Clearance: If a card was rejected by the Approving Authority (ASA), it was sent to the State Health Agency (SHA). There, an associate named Vishwajeet would approve the rejected cards for a fee of Rs 5,000 per card.
Customer Cost: The gang charged customers Rs 6,000 per fraudulent card.
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Hospital Complicity
The gang also maintained connections within hospitals. Consequently, hospital staff did not verify the authenticity of these fraudulent cards during admission, allowing the scam to go undetected for a long time. The racket was finally exposed when a single fraudulent card was identified, leading the investigation to the STF.
Arrests And Recoveries
The STF has arrested the following seven individuals:
Chandrabhan Verma (Ringleader, Cyber Caf Operator, Resident of Khargapur, originally from Pratapgarh)
Rajesh Mishra (Former ISA Executive, Resident of Barabanki)
Sujit Kanojia (ISA Executive, Resident of Barabanki)
Saurabh Maurya (ISA Executive, Resident of Barabanki)
Vishwajeet Singh (SHA Associate, Resident of Ghazipur)
Ranjit Singh (Ayushman Mitra at Kalyan Singh Cancer Institute, Lucknow)
Ankit Yadav (Resident of Etawah)
Seized Items: The STF recovered 12 mobile phones, five laptops, fraudulent documents belonging to 129 people, 70 fake Ayushman cards, 22 ATM cards, cash, a car, and other incriminating items.