A nurse at a government hospital in Assam has been caught faking 85 pregnancies — in a span of six months. Lily Begam Laskar allegedly faked these pregnancies to take advantage of a government scheme that awards women Rs 500 for choosing to deliver at a health centre. The scheme is aimed to promote safer childbirth.
Laskar reported herself as the mother in 85 such deliveries in rural Karimganj district, earning Rs 40,000. Authorities finally caught up with her fraud after they received an anonymous tip-off.
"What we found was absolutely incredible," Sarfaraz Haque, a senior government official told NDTV. "What also helped her was that she was also in charge of payments so it was not that easy to detect."
She was suspended last week, following which she reportedly told journalists that there is a "lot of pressure" on nurses and that she was forced to commit the fraud because of poor salary.
In News: Three Indians Have Made It To The List Of 100 Notable Tattoo Artists From Around The Globe
WATCH: Nestle's New TVC Celebrates 100 Years In India, Without Maggi
Contact HuffPost India