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A gardener working on contract with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has been arrested for allegedly running a fraudulent scheme that preyed on poor medical patients by misusing the name of the Delhi Chief Minister’s Office (CMO). The accused, identified as Sonu, 27, a resident of Tagore Garden, was caught forging official CMO letterheads to recommend free hospital treatment for economically weaker patients — in exchange for a fee of ₹5,000 per person. The police say the case not only exposes the vulnerability of poor patients seeking help but also highlights how easily official symbols of authority can be misused for deception.
The complaint that exposed the scam
The fraud came to light when officials at Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, one of the capital’s well-known private hospitals, received what appeared to be an official recommendation letter from the Chief Minister’s Office. The letter requested that a patient named Shyam Shankar be provided free treatment under the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) quota — a government scheme that allows poor patients to receive medical care at private hospitals without charge.
However, the hospital staff noticed certain irregularities. The document, though printed on what looked like a genuine CMO letterhead, contained spelling mistakes, inconsistent fonts, and improper alignment — details that raised suspicion among the hospital administrators. Their doubts intensified when they received a phone call from a man identifying himself as “Balbir Singh Rathee from the CM Office”, who urged them to go ahead with the treatment.
Unwilling to take the risk, the hospital authorities emailed the CMO directly, seeking confirmation of the letter’s authenticity. The reply from the Chief Minister’s Office was unambiguous — no such letter had been issued. The hospital’s alertness led to the exposure of a forgery operation that had been quietly running under the radar.
The CMO’s swift response
Once the forgery was confirmed, SC Vashishtha, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Chief Minister, filed a formal complaint at the Civil Lines police station. The complaint set in motion a detailed investigation by the North District Police, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Raja Banthia.
According to the police, the letter was a meticulously crafted forgery, bearing the forged signature of a senior officialfrom the CM’s office. The prompt communication from the hospital and the complaint by the CMO together helped the police move quickly to uncover the individual behind the scheme.
Following the trail
The investigation team began by questioning the patient, Shyam Shankar, who had presented the letter at the hospital. During interrogation, Shankar revealed that his wife, Anju, had procured the document from a man named Sonu. The police traced the mobile number that had been used to contact the hospital and found it active in Karol Bagh, a busy commercial area in central Delhi.
Further inquiries revealed that Sonu was working as a contractual gardener (mali) with the MCD. He was part of the city’s routine maintenance staff, responsible for the upkeep of public gardens and municipal spaces. Investigators learned that Sonu had used his access to official mailrooms and municipal offices to find and misuse government documents.
When the police attempted to detain him on October 29, Sonu managed to flee the spot, leaving behind his bag and motorcycle. However, with the help of call records and surveillance, the team traced him to his residence in Tagore Garden, where he was arrested on October 30. During the search, police recovered multiple mobile phones, SIM cards, and other items that helped them piece together the details of the scam.
The method behind the forgery
During interrogation, Sonu confessed that his involvement in the scheme had begun almost accidentally. A few months earlier, he had found an original CMO letter in the dak (mail) section of the MCD office, where he occasionally assisted in handling official correspondence. Seeing the potential to exploit the letterhead, he decided to make photocopies and digitally alter the text, creating a collection of fake letters purportedly issued from the Chief Minister’s Office.
Once he had a few forged documents ready, Sonu began visiting private hospitals and their surroundings, especially areas where poor patients and their families sought financial help for treatment. He would approach them, posing as a “liaison officer” connected to the CM’s Office. In exchange for ₹5,000, he promised to arrange a recommendation letter that would guarantee free treatment under the EWS quota.
His victims, often desperate and uninformed about the verification process, trusted him and handed over the money. Armed with the forged letter, they would approach hospitals believing they had legitimate government support. In some cases, hospitals may have even processed the admission initially, assuming the letter was authentic, before discovering inconsistencies.
Sonu used a motorcycle with a fake registration plate to travel between hospitals and maintain anonymity. To further conceal his identity, he carried fake identification cards, including a forged MCD ID and a fake Haryana government employee card, which he would flash to gain credibility.
Evidence and recovery
When police searched his belongings, they found a cache of incriminating items:
- Several forged CMO letters prepared on copied letterheads
- One original CMO letterhead, believed to be the source of the forgery
- A fake MCD employee identity card
- A forged Haryana government identity card
- A motorcycle with a tampered number plate
- Mobile phones with records of impersonation calls and messages related to the scheme
According to DCP Raja Banthia, “Sonu’s operation was crude but effective. He took advantage of the trust that people have in official documents and used it to exploit the poor. The hospital’s vigilance prevented the scam from spreading further.”
The man behind the fraud
Investigators revealed that Sonu came from Badli village in Jhajjar district, Haryana. His early life was marked by hardship — his father died in 1999, forcing him to leave school prematurely. Without formal education or stable employment, he took up small jobs as a watchman and gardener in Bahadurgarh for several years. In 2023, he moved to Delhi in search of better opportunities and managed to secure a contractual position with the MCD.
Living in a rented one-room accommodation in Tagore Garden with his wife and young son, Sonu appeared to be living an ordinary life. However, financial stress and exposure to official paperwork through his municipal job likely gave him the idea to exploit the system for quick money.
The police believe that Sonu operated alone, though they have not ruled out the possibility of others being indirectly involved. His phone records are being analyzed to determine if anyone else in the MCD or hospital network assisted him in obtaining information or accessing official documents.
The larger implications
This case underscores the ease with which public trust in government processes can be manipulated. By forging a simple document and posing as a government intermediary, a low-level municipal worker managed to exploit poor patients desperate for medical help.
The scam has prompted questions about the security and tracking of official stationery such as letterheads, as well as the need for stricter verification procedures in hospitals before acting upon recommendation letters.
Officials at the CMO have reportedly ordered a review of how physical documents are stored and circulated to ensure that sensitive correspondence does not fall into unauthorized hands.
For now, Sonu remains in custody as police continue to investigate the full scope of his activities — including how many patients he deceived, how much money he earned, and whether any of his forged letters were used successfully at other hospitals.
As the investigation unfolds, authorities hope that this case will serve as a reminder of the importance of vigilance — not just among officials but also among citizens — against the misuse of government authority for personal gain.
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