Man's Crowdfunding Drive For Sister's Surgery Went Viral. She Doesn't Exist

A man was arrested in Agra on Friday after he scammed people on social media through a fundraiser by falsely claiming that his sister was suffering from an eye disease and his family needed money for her surgery. 

"A complaint was received regarding the individual named Ajayveer Singh alias Jai Singh Rathore, who, through social media, falsely claimed that his 12-year-old sister was suffering from a disease like 'Glaucoma'/'Vitreous Haemorrhage,' prepared forged documents in the name of treatment for her eyes, toyed with the emotions of the general public, and improperly obtained funds (crowdfunding) from people," Agro police said in a post on X. 

"The Bah Police Station immediately took cognisance of the said complaint and, based on the received written report, registered a case against the concerned individual under relevant sections, arrested the accused, and further legal proceedings are underway," they added.

सोशल मीडिया के माध्यम से अजयवीर सिंह उर्फ जय सिंह राठौड़ नामक व्यक्ति द्वारा अपनी 12 वर्षीय बहन को ‘ग्लूकोमा'/‘विट्रियस हेमरेज' जैसी बीमारी से पीड़ित बताकर, उसके आंखों के उपचार के नाम पर फर्जी दस्तावेज तैयार कर, आमजन की भावनाओं से खिलवाड़ करते हुए लोगों से गलत तरीके से धनराशि… pic.twitter.com/qrJEdXOINo

— POLICE COMMISSIONERATE AGRA (@agrapolice) September 25, 2026

The man, identified by police as Ajayveer Singh, posed as 16-year-old Jay Singh Rathore and appealed on X for financial help for his younger sister, claiming she was at risk of losing her eyesight. In his now-deleted posts, Rathore said his sister had been diagnosed with glaucoma and vitreous haemorrhage and needed urgent treatment at Shroff Eye Centre in Delhi.

He claimed that the family had already spent more than Rs 2.5 lakh on her treatment and needed another Rs 1.2 lakh for the next surgery. "Between our savings and help from relatives, we have managed to arrange Rs 50,000. We are still short by around Rs 73,000," he said.

 Singh's appeal quickly went viral, with strangers donating small amounts to help the family. Within around 24 hours, Rathore said he had received Rs 158,282. He later asked users to stop sending donations and removed the payment link from his posts, claiming that he had received more than enough money. 

Later, Shroff Eye Centre issued a public warning on Instagram about medical documents allegedly being circulated using its letterhead. According to the hospital, it had learnt that someone had created a fake patient record, prescription and estimate sheet using its letterheads and was approaching individuals and organisations for financial assistance.

"Alert. It has come to our knowledge that some person/s has created a fake patient, prescription and estimate sheet on our letterheads and is asking NGOs and individuals on WhatsApp for help. Please be aware and SHARE to prevent people from becoming victims of this deception," the hospital wrote.

The hospital's statement prompted users on X to question Singh's fundraiser and the documents he had shared as proof of his sister's treatment. Some users claimed they had contacted the hospital and could not verify the patient details mentioned in the appeal. Others began asking Singh to explain the discrepancies and provide proof that the treatment was genuine.

Singh later gave conflicting explanations about the fundraiser, leading several donors to demand refunds. Screenshots claiming to show repayments and changes in the bank balance were subsequently shared online, although these screenshots have not been independently verified.

Following complaints from the donors, police arrested Singh and have launched an investigation.