Vigilance arrests 2 hospital workers for issuing fake dope test reports

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has uncovered a corruption scam at Civil Hospital, Bholath, in Kapurthala district, where employees were taking bribes to issue false negative dope test reports.

Acting on a complaint filed on the Chief Minister’s Anti-Corruption Action Line, the VB arrested two accused – Manpreet Singh, alias Sonu, a ward attendant, and Bholu, alias Ismail, a contractual computer operator, for accepting Rs 10,000. The role of Dr Mohitpal, posted in the hospital, and a contractual laboratory technician Maan Singh is under scanner.

Disclosing this here today, an official spokesperson of the state VB said investigation had revealed that the accused had demanded and accepted Rs 10,000 from the complainant to issue him a negative dope test report. The further probe indicated that the accused were routinely accepting bribes to manipulate dope test results, which were then used for arms licence applications or during renewals. The complainant provided evidence of the bribe demand and both positive and falsified negative reports.

He further added that in this regard, a case has been registered under Sections 7 and 7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 61(2) of the BNS at the VB police station, Jalandhar range. The VB range, Jalandhar, is also examining the involvement of other staff members and the full extent of this scam to expose the corrupt practices in this regard, he said.

Jalandhar