New Delhi: Delhi Police suspect that the gang involved in cheating patients with terminal illnesses duped over 500 people in more than five states, exploiting their hapless situation.
Investigators claimed that the gang ran the illegal business through more than 30 agents deputed in different areas. Talking to Millennium Post, a police official said that families of some of the victim patients even sold plots of lands to pay the accused.
"During the raid, we found two bills from the shop and detailed investigation led to the arrest of the gang," said the officer, adding that as many as 34 persons were cheated by the gang in Delhi alone. The accused destroyed every bill of the fake medicines they sold.
The arrests were made by a team formed under the supervision of Geetanjali Khandelwal, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Daryaganj, and led by Rajiv Gunwant, SHO, Chandni Mahal police station, comprising of sub-inspector Tejinder Singh.
For each desperate patient that they would bring to the accused, the agents in different cities used to get a 20 per cent commission.
Cops also believe that the gang employed women as their agents.
"In one case, we found that they duped a patient with a hole in his heart. The gang had come to Delhi 20 days ago, after their cases in another state were exposed," the investigator said.
The gang had been active from the last three to four years, and duped more than 450 persons across the country. Cops believe that by cheating each patient to the tune of lakhs of rupees, the accused have amassed several crores.
At the makeshift hospital of the accused, one agent would lie to the target family about the incurable diseases that they have cured through ayurvedic medicine.
After brainwashing the family, the accused would guarantee them that the patient will be cured be in the next four months, otherwise their money will be returned.
"Many families and patients left their original treatment and were duped by the accused. Now, their (patient) health has deteriorated," said the police officer.