New Delhi: Four people were arrested for allegedly duping youths on the pretext of getting them employment in various government projects, police said Tuesday. The accused have been identified as Gyan Prakash (30), Ram Narayan (28), Rishi Kant (27) and Praveen Kumar (22), they said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Madhur Verma said that Prakash, hailing from Gurgaon, used to place advertisements in newspapers seeking applications for jobs in various government schemes such as the Ayushman Bharat Yojana and would cheat applicants by collecting money after offering fake appointment letters.

In a statement, the National Health Authority (NHA), the apex body implementing the health insurance scheme, said it was vigilant and constantly monitoring to avert any kind of fraud in the scheme and had informed Delhi Police about fake letters promising jobs. Indu Bhushan, CEO of the National Health Authority, said, "Pradhan Mantri - Jan Arogya Yojana Ayushman Bharat is a free healthcare scheme and will never ask any individual to deposit money either for a job opportunity or insurance e-card registration, etc. Such fraudulent activities go against the entire National Health Authority's system as well as our efforts. "Hence, we request our colleagues in the media to verify the source of information before publishing an advertisement related to the PM-JAY Ayushman Bharat Scheme in their esteemed publications.¿