The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has arrested five individuals in connection with the deaths of two beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) at Khyati Multispeciality Hospital. The accused were apprehended during raids carried out by ten teams across Gujarat and Rajasthan, with cyber units also involved in tracking their movements and communications.
Among those apprehended are Chirag Rajput and Rahul Jain, both of whom also served as the hospital’s Chief Executive Officers (CEOs). The others arrested include Milind Patel, Pratik Bhatt and Pankil Patel.
Rajput, identified as the main accused, was detained from a farmhouse in Kheda. Rahul Jain was arrested in Udaipur, while Pratik Bhatt and Pinkal Patel were apprehended from Kheda as well.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ajit Rajian, overseeing the case, stated, “Chirag Rajput emerged as the main conspirator after his interrogation. He has a prior case of cheating and previously served as Vice President at SAL Hospital. He earned a monthly salary of Rs seven lakhs and handled audits, finances, reports and commissions at Khyati Hospital.”
Sources told Vibes of India that Jain, a chartered accountant by qualification, is accused of manipulating financial records to portray Rs 3 crore in losses while facilitating fraudulent claims. Milind Patel, another accused, previously worked at SAL Hospital. Milind and Rajput knew each other.
Addressing a press briefing on Tuesday, JCP (Crime) Sharad Singhal confirmed, “The accused were hiding at a farmhouse owned by an associate of Chirag Rajput. They were in Kheda for the last four to five days and avoided contact with locals. They used dongles, WiFi and communication devices of Chinese and Russian origin to evade detection. Phones and devices seized during the operation will be sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for analysis.”
The investigation revealed that the accused conducted medical camps in rural areas to attract patients, offering compensation to local sarpanchs. Emergency and normal cases were then registered on the PM-JAY portal to claim funds.
Singhal added, “By registering cases as emergencies, they secured faster approvals and claimed Rs 11 crore through the scheme in the last year. Around 70% of the hospital’s income came from government schemes, while the remaining 30% was from patients referred by other hospitals.”
Marketing assistants Pratik Bhatt and Pinkal Patel worked under Chirag Rajput, visiting small clinics and hospitals in villages to refer patients to Khyati Hospital in exchange for commissions. The accused also convinced doctors from nearby hospitals to direct patients to Khyati’s outpatient department.
“Dr Vazirani was the first to be arrested and remains in remand. Eight individuals have been identified so far, and six arrests have been made. Three suspects—Rajshree Kothari, Sanjay Patolia, and Kartik Patel—are still at large. Kartik Patel is currently out of the country, and legal procedures are underway to capture him,” Singhal said.
The investigation also uncovered that the hospital falsely billed procedures under the PM-JAY scheme, including unnecessary angioplasty surgeries.
The accused will be presented before the court on Wednesday for remand hearings.
DCP Rajian told Vibes of India, “The crime branch is working on identifying further links in the scam. We are also investigating individuals who may have aided the accused in their escape. Additional arrests are expected soon.”
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