Patna: Police have arrested a broker accused of cheating patients by promising to secure beds at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS), a senior official confirmed on Tuesday. The accused, 50-year-old Manoj Kumar Shahi, was apprehended from the hospital’s emergency ward while allegedly attempting to extort money from a patient’s relative.
Investigations suggest that Shahi lured relatives of patients seeking admission at IGIMS, redirecting them to private hospitals across Patna, including locations on Boring Road, Digha Aashiyana, Bailey Road, Rajabazar, and Pataliputra. Families were reportedly charged fees under the pretext of arranging beds in the government hospital.
Dr Manish Mandal, Medical Superintendent at IGIMS, said Shahi, who is disabled, initially escaped suspicion. “He was caught red-handed based on CCTV footage and complaints from patient families,” Mandal said. Shahi was apprehended while attempting to exchange money with Shashi Bhushan Choubey, a relative of a patient admitted in the emergency ward.
Police investigations have also revealed that a security guard at IGIMS may have colluded with Shahi to manipulate bed allocations, conduct tests, and refer patients to private hospitals.
Shahi, a resident of Motipur in Muzaffarpur district, has been sent to jail. Authorities are continuing their search for other individuals believed to be involved in the scam.
