Noida: Police have arrested four people for allegedly using forged Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) cards to fraudulently access medical treatment worth Rs 6.5 lakh. Police said fake ECHS and Aadhaar documents were shared via WhatsApp to admit a woman under a fake identity. After her death, the accused allegedly issued a forged death certificate in the same name.The case first came to light when the family of the person whose identity was stolen to forge the documents filed a police complaint. The accused were identified as Shikha Singh (25), her brother Yash Singh (20), Jitendra Yadav (31) and Danish Khan (22). Yadav and Khan had allegedly run a similar racket for two years, targeting financially vulnerable patients.According to DCP (Central Noida) Shakti Mohan Avasthy, Singh’s sister, Tanu, had suffered from a prolonged illness, and her family could not pay for proper medical treatment. The family came into contact with Khan through an acquaintance working in the health department in Bulandshahr. Khan allegedly promised to arrange treatment at a significantly lower cost.Acting on Khan’s instructions, Shikha and her brother admitted Tanu to a hospital on July 29, 2025, using the identity of another woman— the complainant’s daughter. The accused used forged ECHS and Aadhaar cards sent by Khan via WhatsApp to complete hospital formalities and secure treatment benefits under the govt health scheme.Tanu died during treatment on Aug 5, 2025. After her death, the accused allegedly obtained the body and prepared a fake death certificate using the same false identity to conceal the fraud. Danish Khan received around Rs 65,000 through online transactions, while the remaining amount was paid in cash for arranging the fraudulent treatment, police said.During interrogation, Khan told cops that he, along with his associate Pradeep, had been running similar fraud operations for nearly two years. “The duo allegedly targeted financially distressed families seeking affordable healthcare and facilitated hospital admissions using forged documents to generate fraudulent medical claims in exchange for money,” the DCP said.Police added that both Khan and Yadav have previously been jailed in a similar case registered at Phase-2 police station in Noida. They were out on bail. Efforts are underway to arrest Pradeep, for which a dedicated police team has been formed.An FIR has been registered under BNS sections 318(4) (cheating), 338 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc), 336(3) (forgery) and 340 (forged document or electronic record and using it as genuine) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the BNS at Bisrakh police station.The recovered evidence, including mobile phones and fake digital documents, is being examined further as part of the ongoing investigation. Police said they are also probing whether more such cases are linked to the racket.
