Ballia nurses recruitment racket exposed, FIR against 15

Ballia: Following the complaint filed by the District Chief Medical Officer (CMO), police registered an FIR against 15 staff nurses for allegedly securing fraudulent appointments using forged documents at various health centres in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia.

The accused were staff nurses at primary and community health centres across Ballia.

According to the PTI report, the case was registered following a complaint lodged by Dr Vijay Pati Dwivedi, the District Chief Medical Officer (CMO), who said it was brought to his attention that some employees had allegedly submitted forged documents to gain employment and had been drawing salaries for their services, thus misleading the department.

Also Read:Overseas Job Fraud: Goa Doctor held for Conning 13 Aspirants of Rs 27 Lakh

As per a media report in the HT, “The matter came to light during an inspection at a primary health centre (PHC) when I asked a newly joined staff nurse ‘what is the ratio of ORS to be mixed in water for a patient of dehydration’,” Dr Dwivedi said on Sunday. The inspection then triggered a broader investigation that revealed a disturbing pattern of fraudulent appointments.

Subsequently, the CMO set up a seven-member team to investigate the matter. The team's findings raised concerns, prompting him to issue a direction on October 3, 2024, to halt work and salary disbursements to the accused employees.

"They were also directed to appear before the team for verification of their appointment records. However, all the workers went into hiding after the directive," said the CMO, reports PTI.

“A fake ID was used to get the job, the primary investigation has found. The matter will be investigated at the directorate level,” said Dr Ratan Pal Singh Suman, director general medical health, Uttar Pradesh.

On February 22, the Kotwali police in Ballia filed an FIR under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 419 (cheating by impersonation), 420 (fraud), 467 (forgery of documents), 468 (using forged documents for cheating), 471 (using forged documents as genuine), and 120-B (criminal conspiracy).

Police are investigating the matter.

Also Read:Fake Investment Scheme: Doctor booked for defrauding 68-year-old patient of Rs 1.37 crore