Raipur: There was a stir in the administrative corridors of Chhattisgarh when a case of an attempt to defraud big hospitals using the name of the state's Health Secretary Amit Kataria came to light.

The cunning fraudster, claiming to be close to the Secretary, was threatening hospital operators and demanding large sums of money from them. Seeing the situation becoming serious, the Health Secretary sent a written complaint to the Raipur Police Commissioner and directed him to register an FIR.

Scam method: Extortion under the guise of “complaint suppression”

The investigation revealed that the accused, who identified himself as "Ajay Agarwal," would directly call the operators of private hospitals and say, "A serious complaint has been filed against your hospital at the Ministry." He would then threaten them with action and demand money in exchange for suppressing the complaint file.

He used to win trust by calling hospital operators to the ministry.

The conman's method was extremely cunning. He didn't just talk on the phone, but instead summoned doctors and hospital administrators to the Ministry (Mahanadi Bhavan). When the administrators arrived, he would stop them at the gate and deceive them by saying, "Sir, he's busy in a meeting right now. Please wait outside." He used this tactic to demonstrate his direct contact and influence within the Ministry.

Amit Kataria wrote a letter to the Police Commissioner

Health Secretary Amit Kataria has considered this matter extremely serious. He has written to Raipur Police Commissioner Sanjeev Shukla, clarifying that no one named "Ajay Agarwal" in the Secretariat or the Health Department is authorized to engage in such activities. He has demanded that the police immediately identify and arrest the accused and take strict legal action. The Secretary stated that this is a well-planned conspiracy to tarnish the department's image and his personal image.

Health department issued alert

Following this incident, the Health Department has issued an alert to all private hospitals and health institutions in the state. The department has clarified that any official investigation or complaint process follows established regulations. Instructions have been given to immediately inform the local police or senior department officials of any suspicious calls or demands for money.