Doctor, home guards among 19 held in Chhattisgarh for faking snakebite deaths, siphoning off lakhs
Nineteen individuals, including a doctor and two home guards, have been arrested in Chhattisgarh for orchestrating a scam involving forged post-mortem reports. The syndicate falsely claimed snakebite deaths to siphon off government compensation funds totaling ₹64 lakh.
Why it matters
The case exposes systemic corruption and the vulnerability of government welfare schemes to fraud by public officials and professionals.
Nineteen persons, including a doctor, two home guards, and a lawyer, have been arrested in Chhattisgarh 's Bilaspur district for allegedly orchestrating a scam by forging post-mortem reports to claim snakebite compensation and siphoning off lakhs, police said on Tuesday (July 21, 2026).
The syndicate fabricated medical and revenue documents, fraudulently securing ₹64 lakh in government relief under the Revenue Book Circular 6-4 scheme for natural and other causes of death, Bilaspur Senior Superintendent of Police Rajnesh Singh said.
According to the investigation, each member of the racket played distinct roles to execute the fraud between November 2019 and February 2024.
Police have so far registered 16 FIRs at Sarkanda, Civil Lines, Koni, City Kotwali, Sirgitti and Torwa police stations in Bilaspur, and arrested 19 people over the past few days, while efforts are underway to apprehend the remaining members of the syndicate, Mr. Singh said.
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