Cops get hold of 68-year-old bogus doctor from Govandi

Mumbai: A 68-year-old bogus doctor was nabbed by the Shivaji Nagar police on Saturday. For the past 30 years, the accused was practicing without proper qualification and registration in the Shivaji Nagar-Govandi area of the city. Officials said there had been a rise in the number of such quacks nabbed, with around 50 such persons being caught in this area this year.

The arrested accused has been identified as Parkash Sharma, and booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code such as 420, 418, and Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) Act. Sharma had a Chandigarh-based registration and was practicing in the area for the past 30 years. The complainant is a assistant medical officer of M-East Ward.

“A medical officer of BMC ward went to Sharma’s clinic following a tip-off and raided it,” said PSI Narayan Turkunde.

“We found that things which are required for practicing were missing. We are also trying to ascertain if his Chandigarh degree is genuine, as we have information that it is not valid,” added Mr Turkunde.

Senior police inspector of Shivaji Nagar, Bhimashankar Dhole, said, “There have been several complaints about these bogus doctors, unregistered practices and clinics. This is a serious issue and needs to be tackled with severity.”

“Strict action should be taken against such clinics and doctors. There are more than 10-15 unregistered doctors and around 20 suspected bogus doctors in Govandi and Mankhurd,” Mr Bhole said.