A scam worth Rs 1.5 crore has come to light at the primary health centre (PHC) in Muzaffarpur, near here. A senior medical officer (SMO), a pharmacist-cum-accountant — the alleged kingpin — and a multipurpose health worker have been arrested.

The scam pertains to withdrawal of the general provident fund (GPF) of 62 employees based on fake papers.

It has also been revealed that salaries in the names of three to four non-existent employees were also being withdrawn.

The police said the kingpin in the scam was pharmacist-cum-accountant Karampal Goel, a resident of Ludhiana, and all the 62 GPF withdrawals were managed by Goel and his accomplices.

SSP Rakesh Aggarwal said apart from recovering Rs 6 lakh cash from the house and bank locker of Goel, the police have also recovered registered sale deeds of 15 plots owned by Goel or his family in Ludhiana and NSC/Kisan Vikas Patras of worth Rs 3.6 lakh.

The police have also discovered that Goel got a seat for his son in a private medical college in Bathinda in MBBS course by paying a “donation” of Rs 22 lakh, under the NRI quota. The market price of various properties owned by him is estimated to be in crores, said SSP.

The police have also sealed Goel’s banks accounts having Rs 9.5 lakhs in deposits, in Ludhiana and Nawanshahr. Goel had joined the PHC in 2003.

Disclosing their modus operandi, the SSP said Goel would prepare papers of withdrawal of GPF in the names of various employees who were not aware about it. he would then to forge the signatures of a superintendent in the office of Director (health), Punjab, for preparing the permission letter to withdraw the GPF. “It could not be possible without the connivance of senior medical officers,” he said.

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