Chhattisgarh Snakebite Scam: Doctor, Lawyer, Home Guards Among 19 Arrested for Forging Post-Mortem Reports to Claim ₹64 Lakh Compensation

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A MAJOR SCAM orchestrated in Chhattisgarh has come to light where fake snakebite cases were allegedly created to siphon off government relief funds. Police said on July 21, 2026, that the case took place in Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh, and a total of 19 people have been arrested, including doctors, home guards, lawyers, and government employees who were allegedly involved in the scam. These people are accused of forging post-mortem reports and official documents of deceased persons to fraudulently obtain compensation from the government.

According to Bilaspur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajnesh Singh, the accused fabricated medical and revenue records to fraudulently claim around ₹64 lakh in compensation under the Revenue Book Circular (RBC) 6-4 scheme. The scheme provides financial assistance in Chhattisgarh in cases of natural and accidental deaths, including snakebite fatalities. The alleged fraud took place between November 2019 and February 2024.

According to the police, 16 FIRs have so far been registered in the scam across several police stations in Bilaspur, including Sarkanda, Civil Lines, Koni, and City Kotwali. Among the 19 arrested is Dr. Priyanka Soni (37), an MBBS and MD doctor who was arrested from Nagpur, Maharashtra. According to police, she was posted at the Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS), Bilaspur, along with the two arrested home guards. Investigators allege she prepared forged post-mortem reports that falsely identified snakebite as the cause of death.

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How the Fake Snakebite Compensation Scam Was Orchestrated

Police alleged that the racket used old cases involving deaths caused by illness, cancer, suicide, and other natural causes. The records of these deaths were then altered to portray them as snakebite fatalities.

Investigators also said that home guards Ramkumar Patanwar (40) and Rameshwar Bhaskar (53) allegedly informed members of the racket whenever bodies arrived at the hospital. A lawyer then allegedly approached the grieving families and convinced them to falsely claim that their relatives had died due to snakebite. The accused then arranged forged medical certificates to support these claims.

As quoted by The Indian Express, SSP Rajnesh Singh explained the alleged conspiracy: "While one group, led by an advocate, convinced the family of the deceased to say their kin died of a snakebite and obtained a fraudulent certificate issued by a doctor, another ensured that the claim documents were cleared by officials."

He further said, "Fake seals and signatures of the police, patwaris, doctors and other government offices were prepared to make the documents appear genuine. Based on these documents, financial assistance was sanctioned and credited into the beneficiaries' bank accounts, after which the amount was distributed among themselves."

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Police said members of the racket fabricated seals and signatures of doctors, police personnel, patwaris, and other government officials to forge the documents. Investigators also claimed that in some cases, the accused tampered with the bodies to make them appear as though they had been bitten by snakes by creating marks resembling snakebites before manipulating the inquest and post-mortem records.

According to police, beneficiaries allegedly received around ₹50,000 each, while the remaining compensation money was collected and distributed among members of the syndicate. While several members have been arrested, police said efforts are underway to trace the remaining members of the alleged racket.

Police Investigation into the Fake Snakebite Scam

Police have identified the alleged kingpin of the racket as lawyer Heera Prasad Khandekar. Other arrested accused include bank employee Kush Kumar Gupta, daily-wage worker Govind Vishwakarma, and government employees Gareeb Ram Bijwad, Narendra Kaushik, and Harishankar Rathore, among others.

According to investigators, Vishwakarma, who worked with the tehsil office, allegedly played a key role in processing the fraudulent files and securing approvals with the help of government employees.

During the investigation, police conducted raids and seized forged government seals, fabricated post-mortem reports, death certificates, inquest records, Aadhaar cards, bank passbooks, bank account forms, computers, printers, cash, and other incriminating material. Officials said the investigation is continuing to identify additional beneficiaries, public servants, and medical professionals who may have been involved in the alleged scam.

(Edited by Harsh Pandey)

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