A 34-year-old college dropout has been arrested for posing as an Ayurveda doctor and “practicing” in a health clinic in suburban Malad, a police official said on Wednesday. According to the official, the arrest was made recently as a part of a joint operation by the Dindoshi Police and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s P/North Ward. The accused, identified as Sukesh Gupta, had been “practicing” in the Shivshahi area of Malad for the past four years, he said.
The civic body had been verifying the qualifications of doctors in its jurisdiction after coming across instances where people with fake medical degrees were found treating patients and prescribing medicines. BMC officials learnt that Gupta had dropped out of college and was treating patients and prescribing them medicines.
The police official said Gupta was given a warning after which he shut down his clinic, but reopened it after 6 months. After a complaint was lodged by the BMC, a raid was conducted at Gupta’s clinic and he was arrested, he said. Police seized medicines and equipment from his clinic.
He was subsequently booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Maharashtra Medical Practitioners Act. Primary probe revealed Gupta had put up a BAMS degree certificate at his clinic and an investigation was underway to ascertain from where he had obtained it, the official said (PTI)
