Lucknow, Dec 25: The Lucknow unit of the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has arrested seven people for allegedly running an organised racket that issued Ayushman Bharat health cards to ineligible individuals using forged identities. The accused were operating across multiple districts, including Lucknow, Barabanki, Pratapgarh, Ghazipur and Etawah.
More Than 2,000 Fraudulent Cards Generated
According to the STF, the gang fraudulently generated more than 2,000 Ayushman cards for people who did not meet eligibility criteria, enabling them to avail free medical treatment at government-empanelled hospitals. Two members of the same network had earlier been arrested in June 2025 from Prayagraj, when 84 fake Ayushman cards were recovered.
Accused Identified, Equipment Seized
The arrested individuals were identified as Chandra Bhan Verma of Pratapgarh, Rajesh Mishra, Sujit Kanaujia and Saurabh Maurya of Barabanki, Vishwajeet Singh of Ghazipur, Ranjit Singh of Lucknow and Ankit Yadav of Etawah. They were apprehended from the Gomtinagar Extension area, along with computers, printers and forged documents.
OTP Bypassed With Help of Cyber Cafes and Insiders
STF investigations revealed that the gang bypassed OTP verification to add ineligible persons to family IDs with the alleged help of cyber café operators and certain employees linked to Implementation Support Agencies (ISA). Approvals were then facilitated at ISA and State Health Agency (SHA) levels through illegal payments.
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Mastermind Charged ₹6,000 Per Card
During questioning, mastermind Chandra Bhan Verma reportedly admitted charging ₹6,000 per fake card, with substantial amounts paid as bribes for approvals. The STF also found alleged involvement of an Ayushman Mitra at a Lucknow-based cancer institute, who helped correct district mismatches in fake cards.
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