NEW DELHI: A contractual worker with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s Karol Bagh Zone has been arrested for allegedly forging official documents and impersonating a staff member from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) to issue fake recommendation letters for free treatment in private hospitals.
The accused, identified as Sonu, allegedly targeted patients who could not afford private medical care. Police said he has duped them by promising treatment under the economically weaker section (EWS) category in exchange for Rs 5,000.
The fraud came to light after Maharaja Agrasen Hospital wrote to the CMO to verify a letter that bore multiple discrepancies. “The letter had spelling errors, inconsistent use of fonts and poor alignment. The hospital also received a phone call from someone claiming to be ‘Balbir Singh Rathee’ from the CM’s office, insisting on EWS treatment for a patient,” said an officer.
An FIR was registered at the Civil Lines police station based on the complaint of S C Vashishtha, an officer on special duty to the Chief Minister.
A team led by Inspector Hanumant Singh, SHO Civil Lines, and supervised by ACP Vikas Meena, tracked the suspect using technical surveillance. Sonu initially escaped during a raid at the MCD office in Karol Bagh but left behind a bag containing several forged letters, a fake MCD identity card, and a motorcycle with a tampered number plate.
The matter came to light on Sunday, but he was apprehended from Tagore Garden on October 30. Police recovered his phone, which contained multiple SIM cards used for impersonation, along with forged letters bearing fake signatures of CMO officials.
During interrogation, Sonu confessed that he had found an original CMO letter in the MCD office mail and used it to create fake templates. He used Google Translate to fill in patient details in English and called hospital administrators, pretending to be a CMO officer, to authenticate the letters.
Police said Sonu, a native of Jhajjar, Haryana, had earlier worked as a gardener and security guard in Bahadurgarh before moving to Delhi in 2023.
“His modus operandi shows a deliberate targeting of vulnerable patients desperate for treatment,” said DCP (North) Raja Banthia. “Multiple forged letters, fake IDs, and his motorcycle have been seized.” Officials said more victims could surface as the probe continues.
