🔥 Trending Chhattisgarh Snakebite Compensation Scam: Fraudsters Faked Deaths for Payouts

The Chhattisgarh snakebite compensation scam is a multi-crore fraud scheme uncovered in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, primarily centered in the Bilaspur district. The scam involved a syndicate that faked snakebite deaths to illegally claim government compensation ¹².

How the Scam Operated

The fraudulent scheme, active since at least 2018, exploited a government provision in Chhattisgarh that offers 4 lakh rupees (400,000 INR) as ex-gratia compensation for snakebite fatalities ¹². The perpetrators orchestrated a complex web of deceit involving various individuals and institutions:

• Falsifying Death Records: The core of the scam involved fabricating death certificates and post-mortem reports. Deaths from other causes, such as suicides or heart attacks, were falsely attributed to snakebites ¹³.
• Involvement of Professionals: A wide range of professionals were implicated, including doctors, lawyers, clerks, bank employees, and even home guards ²³⁴.
• Doctors: Allegedly produced fake post-mortem reports confirming snakebite as the cause of death ³⁴.
• Lawyers: Reportedly assisted in the legal procedures for claiming compensation ²⁴.
• Clerks: Manipulated government records to facilitate the fraudulent claims ²³.
• Bank Employees: Were involved in the financial transactions related to the compensation payouts ²³.
• Home Guards: Some home guards were also among those arrested for their alleged involvement ⁴⁶.
• Modus Operandi: The syndicate would identify deaths that were not due to snakebites and then, through their network, would alter the official records to show snakebite as the cause. This allowed them to claim the 4 lakh rupee compensation from the government ¹³.

Scale of the Fraud

The scam has defrauded the state of over 17 crore rupees (170 million INR) ². Specifically, the Bilaspur district alone recorded 431 snakebite deaths over three years, leading to 17.24 crore rupees in compensation payouts ⁸.

Uncovering the Scam and Arrests

The scam came to light when Beltara BJP MLA Sushant Shukla raised concerns about the unusually high number of snakebite deaths reported in Bilaspur district during a Budget Session of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly ⁸.

As of July 2026, police in Bilaspur have made multiple arrests in connection with the scam.

• Initially, 17 people were arrested ¹⁵.
• Later reports indicated that the number of arrests rose to 19, including a doctor, two home guards, and a lawyer ⁴⁶⁷.
• The crackdown widened, with arrests continuing into July 2026 ⁵.

The investigation revealed that the irregularities went undetected for a significant period because the perpetrators expertly fabricated post-mortem reports and government records, effectively diverting compensation meant for genuine snakebite victims ³.