Multi-crore snakebite scam: Doc, lawyers among 17 arrested in Chhattisgarh
Authorities in Chhattisgarh have arrested 17 individuals, including a doctor, lawyers, and government clerks, for orchestrating a multi-crore scam involving fraudulent snakebite compensation claims. The syndicate systematically falsified postmortem reports and government records to siphon off ₹4 lakh payouts per case, totaling an estimated ₹17.24 crore in illicit gains.
Why it matters
This case exposes significant vulnerabilities in public welfare distribution systems and highlights how organized corruption can exploit government compensation schemes at the expense of taxpayer funds and genuine victims.
RAIPUR: A suicide was turned into a snakebite death on paper. An existing inquest number was recycled to create a forged postmortem report. In another case, a heart attack was passed off as a fatal snakebite. The paperwork then travelled through govt offices and unlocked a Rs 4 lakh compensation payout.Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur police in past one month till Monday widened their crackdown into the alleged estimated ₹17.24-crore snakebite compensation scam, arresting total 17 people, including a former CIMS woman doctor, three revenue clerks, lawyers, a bank employee and other conspirators for fabricating postmortem reports and govt records to siphon off compensation meant for genuine snakebite victims. In some cases, allegedly without the knowledge or consent of the deceased persons’ families.The alleged fraud came to light after Beltara BJP MLA Sushant Shukla raised the issue in the Chhattisgarh assembly in the previous session.
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