Ramol police bust racket of fake Ayushman cards with forged income certificates

The Ramol police on Friday claimed to have unearthed a racket involving the fraudulent issuance of Ayushman Bharat health cards using forged income certificates. Two persons have been arrested, while one is wanted in connection with the scam.

Police said the arrested accused, identified as 34-year-old Dheeraj Jitendra Rajput and Kishorebhai Dungaji Prajapati of Odhav who were caught during a raid at a shop named Hetansinh Online near Ramol-Vastral Gram Panchayat. A computer, xerox printer, two mobile phones, and other equipment worth ₹1.07 lakh were seized, along with 20 forged income certificates.

Investigators revealed that Rajput had been forging income documents for ₹1,200 each and had been running the operation for the past two years. He allegedly acted in connivance with two others, including the main accused, Deepak Ahir of Surat, who handled the processing of the Ayushman cards and collected money from applicants who is absonding now.

Senior officials said the scam targeted customers whose income exceeded the eligibility threshold under the scheme. By submitting falsified income certificates obtained through forgery, the accused facilitated the issuance of Ayushman Bharat cards to ineligible persons. In several cases, applicants allegedly paid extra money to get their cards approved faster.

A police officer said, “The racket has been operating for nearly two years. While the exact number of forged documents is yet to be established, we suspect there may be hundreds of such cases.”

An FIR has been registered at Ramol Police Station under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Police said further investigation is underway to trace the absconding accused and verify the scale of the scam.