{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "Suicides disguised as snake bite deaths to siphon government funds, five held in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur",
  "summary": "In Bilaspur, suicides were passed off as snake bite deaths to fraudulently draw government compensation using fake postmortem reports and documents, and five people including tehsil and SDM office staff have been arrested.",
  "content": "A major scam has come to light in Bilaspur, where suicides were dressed up as snake bite deaths to siphon off government compensation money. Investigators say tehsil office and SDM office staff colluded to fake postmortem reports and other documents, and several people have already been arrested in the case.\n\nHow the fraud was actually pulled off\nThe investigation found that the accused worked with considerable cunning. They picked old cases where the actual cause of death was suicide, then used the marg number, the police inquest number, from those very cases to get a fake postmortem report prepared, one that falsely recorded the death as caused by a snake bite. On the strength of these fabricated documents, they got the government's 4 lakh rupee assistance amount for snake bite victims sanctioned and withdrawn. What made it worse was that the name and address of the person shown as receiving the assistance turned out to be fake too, meaning no genuine claimant ever saw that money.\n\nWho has been arrested so far\nThe racket was not limited to office clerks alone; professionals were equally involved. Acting on the case, Sarkanda police arrested Narendra Kaushik, a clerk at the SDM office. Two clerks from the tehsil office, Harishankar Rathore and Garib Binjhwar, were also taken into custody. Police additionally arrested a woman doctor, Priyanka Soni, and an advocate, Rajendra Kumar Chaturvedi, making clear that the collusion ran through every stage, from the fake postmortem to the paperwork that followed.\n\nThe scandal surfaced through the state assembly\nThe scam only came to light after the matter reached the state assembly. Beltara MLA Sushant Shukla had raised questions about compensation distributed between 2019 and 2023 and demanded a probe into this suspicious dealing that took place during the tenure of the then Congress government. Once the government ordered an inquiry, startling facts began to emerge. It turned out that files had been prepared showing both ordinary and suspicious deaths as snake bites, purely so that government assistance money could be withdrawn with ease.\n\n17 fake cases uncovered so far\nBilaspur SSP Rajnish Singh said that 17 fake snake bite cases have been identified in the district so far. These cases have been registered across the Sarkanda, Torwa, Civil Line and Bilha police stations. Police say this is only the beginning of the probe. The entire chain, from how the fake postmortem reports were created to how the compensation was approved and finally paid out, is being examined. Police fear that as the investigation advances, both the amount involved in the scam and the number of accused could rise further.\n\nCollector says no one will be spared\nCollector Sanjay Agrawal said that financial assistance in snake bite cases is given under the RBC 6-4 provision, and the accused exploited a loophole in this very rule to get fraudulent files cleared. He said police are piecing together every link of the racket, and strict action will follow against anyone whose role comes to light. Old records at the tehsil office are currently being scrutinised in detail, and more prominent names connected to the scam are expected to be exposed in the coming days.\n\nWhat this means for you\n• Across India: Cases like this could push authorities to tighten document verification in disaster relief schemes like RBC 6-4, meaning genuine claimants may face extra scrutiny before compensation is released.\n• In Bilaspur: With tehsil and SDM office records now under close review, residents there may need to ensure their own compensation and death-related paperwork is authentic and in order.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. How many fake snake bite cases have been found so far?\nBilaspur SSP Rajnish Singh said 17 fake snake bite cases have been identified in the district so far.\n\n2. Who has been arrested in the scam?\nPolice arrested SDM office clerk Narendra Kaushik, tehsil office clerks Harishankar Rathore and Garib Binjhwar, woman doctor Priyanka Soni, and advocate Rajendra Kumar Chaturvedi.\n\n3. How much money was withdrawn in each fake case?\nUsing fake postmortem reports and documents, the accused withdrew the government's 4 lakh rupee assistance amount in each case.\n\n4. How did the scam come to light?\nBeltara MLA Sushant Shukla raised questions in the state assembly about compensation distributed between 2019 and 2023, which triggered the investigation that exposed the scam.\n\n5. Which police stations have registered these fake cases?\nThe cases have been registered at the Sarkanda, Torwa, Civil Line and Bilha police stations.\n\n6. What is the rule for snake bite compensation?\nCollector Sanjay Agrawal said financial assistance in snake bite cases is given under the RBC 6-4 provision, which the accused exploited a loophole in.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/chhattisgarh/susaida-ki-mauton-ko-sanpa-ke-dasane-ka-engala-dekara-sarakari-paisa-harapane-ka-bara-khela-bilaspur-men-pancha-giraphtara-9131",
  "category": "Chhattisgarh",
  "publishedAt": "2026-07-20",
  "tags": [
    "Bilaspur scam",
    "snake bite compensation",
    "fake postmortem",
    "government fund fraud",
    "Beltara MLA",
    "RBC 6-4"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}