Six Arpit Singhs, One Job Title: How a Nine-Year Scam Fooled UP Hospitals

Lucknow | September 14, 2025 — A story that sounds like a film script has come to light in Uttar Pradesh. Six different men, all calling themselves Arpit Singh, managed to work as X-ray technicians in government hospitals for almost nine years. They all claimed to be the son of Anil Kumar Singh. They all said they were recruited in the year 2016. And they all kept drawing government salaries, without anyone noticing the shocking truth until 2025.

The Beginning in 2016

The case traces back to 2016. That year, the Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UPSSSC) released a list of successful candidates for the post of X-ray technician. Out of 403 names, one was Arpit Singh, son of Anil Kumar Singh.

This Arpit Singh was posted at a Community Health Centre (CHC) in Hathras. For several years, nothing seemed unusual. He went to work and continued his duties as a technician. But behind the scenes, something much bigger was going on.

The Strange Discovery

When officials later checked records, they were stunned. Alongside the Hathras technician, six more men had also taken jobs as X-ray technicians. Each one had the same name: Arpit Singh. Each one claimed to be the son of Anil Kumar Singh.

Even more confusing, some even had the same date of birth. Four of them showed the same permanent address in their official files. The rest had different addresses, but everything else matched.

These “clones” were found in Shamli, Banda, Amroha, Balrampur, Farrukhabad, and Rampur.

For nine years, nobody asked questions. Doctors worked with them. Staff accepted them. Salaries went to their accounts through government portals. The scam was invisible.

The Genuine Arpit Singh

Amid this chaos, there is one genuine man. The “real” Arpit Singh still lives in Hathras with his family. He continues his service at the local CHC. He said he was shocked when the story broke. He had no idea that six others were working under his name.

Investigators now believe that fraudsters copied his identity and used fake certificates to secure jobs.

How the Fraud Worked

Officials say the trick was simple but daring:

• The men submitted forged documents during the 2016 recruitment.
• They all used the same name and father’s name.
• They got separate HR codes in the government’s digital systems, such as eHRMS and eSalary.
• Once appointed, they blended into the system. With no strong verification of Aadhaar or biometric records, nobody flagged them as duplicates.

The scam continued smoothly until journalists and whistleblowers raised alarms in 2025.

Investigation Begins

The matter came to light when data from the Manav Sampada portal, a government service record system, was cross-checked. Officials noticed that several technicians had identical details.

The Health Department then demanded explanations from district CMOs. They were asked to report on every “Arpit Singh” employed in their hospitals.

Soon after, an FIR (First Information Report) was registered at the Wazirganj police station in Lucknow. The complainant was Dr. Ranjana Khare, Director of Paramedical Services.

The charges include:

• Forgery of official documents
• Cheating
• Criminal conspiracy
• Using false identity

Police are now hunting the fake technicians. Many of them have stopped showing up for duty since the case became public.

Cost of the Scam

This is not a small case. For nine years, these men drew full salaries, allowances, and benefits. The total financial loss is expected to run into crores of rupees.

But the cost is not just money. It also raises questions about patient safety. Were these imposters even qualified to operate X-ray machines? Did they compromise health care? These questions are now being asked across the state.

Political Reactions

The scam has also turned political. Leaders from different parties have started blaming each other. The BJP, currently in power, pointed fingers at earlier governments, saying lax recruitment practices under SP and BSP regimes allowed such fraud to enter the system.

Opposition leaders, however, say this is proof of poor monitoring even under the present government. They argue that the health system is in deep crisis, and this scam is only one example.

Hospitals in Shock

In many districts, colleagues say they never suspected a thing. The fake technicians came to work like everyone else. They attended meetings, signed registers, and interacted with patients.

Some of them, however, have now vanished. Staff members in Rampur and Balrampur hospitals reported that their “Arpit Singh” stopped coming to work right after the scam was reported in newspapers.

Lessons from the Case

This bizarre story has become a lesson in how weak systems can be misused. Experts say several steps must be taken:

1. Aadhaar and biometric checks must be compulsory during recruitment and salary disbursement.
2. Payroll audits should happen every year to catch duplicate identities.
3. Hospitals must verify employees through local identity proofs and background checks.
4. Stronger punishments for recruitment fraud should be enforced.
5. A transparent recruitment process with digital verification at every stage must be introduced.

More Than Just Six Arpits?

Officials and journalists now wonder: if six people managed to pull this off in one recruitment cycle, are there other such cases in different posts?

The possibility of more “duplicates” in other technical and paramedical positions cannot be ruled out. The Health Department has promised a state-wide audit.

Conclusion

The story of the six Arpit Singhs is more than a scam. It is a mirror of how weak oversight and blind trust in paperwork can harm public services. For nine years, government hospitals worked with people who should not have been there.

The investigation is ongoing, and the fate of these imposters will be decided in court. But one thing is clear: this shocking case will remain a reminder of how a single name, repeated six times, fooled the system for nearly a decade.