Guwahati: As part of its ongoing investigation to crackdown quacks in Assam, a quack was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly cheating patients by practising without having a valid medical degree for the past 40 years.
The quack allegedly duped patients for over four decades and reportedly practised in Assam and Bengal with a fake medical degree and came into the police radar after he started practising in Gynecology and Obstetrics at a private pharmacy in Lal Ganesh locality of Guwahati for two years.
The accused was treating patients at the private pharmacy operated by him after his retirement in 2005. Upon verification, it was found that the accused used the registration number of a legitimate doctor, Surendra Narayan from West Bengal, to treat patients and present himself as a qualified medical professional.
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After illegally obtaining a doctor's medical license, the accused began his fake practices in 1983 and continued for decades deceiving hundreds of people.
However, concerns were raised about the accused illicit actions when residents and local doctors discovered spelling mistakes and technical errors in documents that had his signature, leading to doubt about his qualifications.
These illicit actions prompted a city-based doctor, Abhijit Neog who has aided in the exposure of 32 alleged "fraudulent" doctors including the accused since 2016 to investigate further the matter leading to the arrest of the accused.
During the investigation of the case, the police discovered that the accused acquired a diploma from the Guwahati-based School of General Medical Practice in 1977, an institution not recognised by any statutory body. Moreover, he failed to produce a Diploma in Gynecology and Obstetrics (DGO) as mentioned on his letterhead at the pharmacy.
As per The Telegraph news report, the accused deceived the patients and his family members who had known him all along as a doctor.
Subsequently, a case was registered against the quack based on Neog's complaint. The accused was remanded to 14 days in judicial custody on Wednesday after Neog submitted significant evidence at the Guwahati court.
Meanwhile, the police have sealed the pharmacy and an investigation is underway to identify any further illegal medical activities performed by the accused.
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