BHOPAL: Cops in Jabalpur of Madhya Pradesh have busted an alleged inter-state racket which showed living labourers as dead through fake death certificates to siphon monetary benefits under the government’s social security scheme for labourers.
Three men identified as Sheikh Shahzad (34), Aqib Rafiq (26) and Salman alias Mohd Saddam Sheikh (27) — all residents of Jabalpur — have been arrested so far. Probe has revealed the possibility of over Rs 1 crore having been siphoned by the alleged fraudsters through at least 40 fake death certificates.
According to the Jabalpur district Police Superintendent Aditya Pratap Singh, recently a middle-aged woman labourer Syeda Rizwana who resides in Jabalpur, complained to the police that the owner of a kiosk who made her worker/job card for being registered with local municipal body, had later showed her as dead in records and siphoned money worth over Rs 2 crore.
The Madhya Pradesh Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board gives Rs 6,000 for funeral arrangements and Rs 2 lakh as aid to the family in natural death and Rs 4 lakh work related accidental death.