THANE: A lawyer and his aide have been arrested in connection with the Rs 1.3 crore-fraud case that was exposed by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC)'s vigilance team.
The accused had used bogus hospital discharge cards and disability certificates to make compensation claims to the tune of Rs 1.3 crore in two major bus accidents in 2016.
The accused have been identified as Umashankar Vishwakarma (45) and an agent Ganpati Nikhar (52).
A senior police officials said that Nikhar used to work as an assistant for the advocate. If any mishap would take place in the area, Nikhar would reach the site and contact the victims. He would then collect their medical papers. "Nikhar used to tamper with the discharge card of the civil hospital. If in the card it was mentioned as minor injuries, Nikhar would change it to major and also add a couple of more days to the admission details. He would then hand over this to Vishwakarma who would, in turn, submit it in court to claim the compensation amount,'' said a police official.
According to the police, several more people are involved in the racket, including medical practitioners. "The probe is still underway and several more things are likely to come to the fore," said the official.
IPS officer Manoj Lohiya, chief security and vigilance officer of MSRTC, had conducted an inquiry last month during which this scam came to light.
The accused had used bogus hospital discharge cards and disability certificates to make compensation claims to the tune of Rs 1.3 crore in two major bus accidents in 2016.
The accused have been identified as Umashankar Vishwakarma (45) and an agent Ganpati Nikhar (52).
A senior police officials said that Nikhar used to work as an assistant for the advocate. If any mishap would take place in the area, Nikhar would reach the site and contact the victims. He would then collect their medical papers. "Nikhar used to tamper with the discharge card of the civil hospital. If in the card it was mentioned as minor injuries, Nikhar would change it to major and also add a couple of more days to the admission details. He would then hand over this to Vishwakarma who would, in turn, submit it in court to claim the compensation amount,'' said a police official.
According to the police, several more people are involved in the racket, including medical practitioners. "The probe is still underway and several more things are likely to come to the fore," said the official.
IPS officer Manoj Lohiya, chief security and vigilance officer of MSRTC, had conducted an inquiry last month during which this scam came to light.
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