The police inquiry into the health scam, in which several non-government organisations were paid a total sum of over Rs 4 crore in the name of sterilisation in Kaimur, has led to inclusions of many more names as non-FIR accused in the case.

The scam was unearthed in 2011 when an internal audit of the implementation of the national rural health mission in the district had brought to the fore anomalies in the implementation of the scheme. The audit had been done on the initiative of the state health society.

According to norms, Rs 1,500 had to be given to beneficiaries opting for sterilisation. If a person worked as motivator for convincing the beneficiary to go for sterilisation, he/she was supposed to get Rs 150 out of the beneficiary share.

Based on the audit report, an FIR was lodged in 2011. Police investigation, however, didn't make any headway. Cops intensified investigations after Kaimur superintendent of police Harpreet Kaur directed the cops.

The SP said details were being collected and people who are suspected of being beneficiaries of the scam were being identified leading to inclusion of several names as non-FIR accused in the scam. "The investigation officer has all the details about the progress," she said.

Case investigating officer Dilip Kumar Jha, a DSP-rank officer, said: "So far we have identified 47 NGOs, which are suspected to have played a role in swindling government funds by submitting fake reports. The total number of accused, which was three, has now gone up to 28."

The cops are at present crosschecking the anomalies that were pointed out in the internal audit report. One of the points was related to a woman who was sterilised on November 23 in 2009 and later it was claimed that the same woman had given birth to a child on November 27, 2009.

"Our investigation has revealed that such things were done to claim the sterilisation incentive money," the investigating officer said.