Srinagar, May 5 -- Every now and then, loudspeaker vans cruise through towns, broadcasting desperate pleas for medical help. Draped in laminated documents and patient photos, these vehicles tug at heartstrings and wallets.

But behind the noise lies a darker truth: most of these appeals are reportedly fake. What looks like charity is often a coordinated scam exploiting public empathy in a regulatory vacuum.

Investigations reveal a well-organized racket. Around 99% of such cases lack authenticity. Medical reports are forged, rarely backed by government hospitals. Many "patients" are hired actors, promised a daily wage or a cut of the collections. Operators, often linked to shady NGOs or middlemen, split the proceeds and rotate vans, patie...