Fake IAS officer caught running Chikkamagaluru hospital

CHIKKAMAGALURU: A man from Chikkamagaluru was arrested by Bengaluru police Friday after allegedly impersonating an IAS officer and exercising control over the district hospital, even conducting meetings with the staff.

Posing as a commissioner under the National Health Mission (NHM), the accused, Mithun, 28, reportedly took charge of operations at the district hospital and directed staff.

Photographs showing Mithun presiding over meetings with senior doctors, nurses, and other hospital personnel have surfaced online and gone viral, highlighting how convincingly he carried off the con job that continued for nearly three months.

The accused allegedly cheated a medical shop owner of Rs 41 lakh by promising a govt contract to supply medicines to primary health centres under the NHM. The victim later filed a complaint with Bengaluru police. A case was registered on April 11 under BNS Sections 318 (cheating) and 319 (cheating by impersonation) before Mithun was arrested.

Claiming to be from Chikkaballekere village in Kadur taluk, Mithun allegedly introduced himself to a senior doctor as the NHM commissioner in charge of Chikkamagaluru district. Trusting his claims, the doctor introduced him to other staff members, further legitimising his position within the hospital.

The incident has triggered a political row, with opposition BJP staging protests and accusing the district administration of negligence. BJP district president Devaraj Shetty alleged a collapse of governance in the state, claiming the accused had links with govt officials and a local MLA.

Meanwhile, Sangeetha Prasad of LISA Foundation has called for an FIR against govt doctors and other officials suspected of colluding with the impersonator. She also alleged that Mithun had collected around Rs 1.8 lakh from medical shop owners, possibly in coordination with some doctors.

A senior district official confirmed that an investigation is under way and assured that strict action would be taken against those found guilty.

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