The misappropriated benefit payments were credited to 72 illegal bank accounts. Around 16 mobile numbers were linked with the bank accounts that received the illegal payments.
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CBI raided Vasanth’s residences in Hubballi and Bengaluru and found documents related to the case. (File)
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CB) has registered a case against an employee of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital in Bengaluru who allegedly misappropriated around Rs 96.43 lakh.
The agency on Thursday said Vasanth Kumar K, assistant, ESIC Hospital, Peenya in Bengaluru and others are allegedly involved in the case. The incident came to light when ESIC regional director A K Sahu wrote a complaint to CBI on November 29 alleging misappropriation and accused Vasanth to be involved in it.
CBI raided Vasanth’s residences in Hubballi and Bengaluru and found documents related to the case. It said the preliminary departmental inquiry conducted by ESIC vigilance (south zone), Chennai, revealed his involvement when he was posted at the ESIC branch office in Bommasandra between January 20, 2016 and September 17, 2019. In the said period, he had connived with others and misappropriated benefit payments to the tune of Rs 96.43 lakh.
According to the ESI Act, as soon as an employer files or uploads the monthly contributions in respect of the insured persons, they will become eligible to avail ESIC irrespective of whether the employee actually makes the payment or not. It was revealed that the above provision was misused and fake employer registrations were created through the self-registration portal and fake or unused insurance numbers were registered through the auto-generate employer login IDs to avail the benefits.
It was also revealed that the misappropriated benefit payments were credited to 72 illegal bank accounts. Around 16 mobile numbers were linked with the bank accounts that received the illegal payments. The mobile numbers that were furnished in the name of illegal beneficiaries and the fake employers were found to be linked to Vasanth Kumar.
In 22 misappropriated maternity benefit payment cases, Form 10 was issued under the signature of Vasanth which he admitted during the departmental inquiry.
It was also found that 144 cases of fake sickness benefit payments bore his signature or handwriting. The inquiry revealed two of Vasanth’s brothers-in-law — Nandi Kishore Doddamani and Pawan Kumar Doddamani — were getting the money and were suspected to have helped Vasanth in these fraudulent payments, said CBI in its FIR.