Fake doctor poses as cosmetology expert, cons woman out of Rs 70 lakh

Chennai: In a recent case of fraud, a 37-year-old woman from Chennai was allegedly cheated of Rs 70 lakh by a woman posing as an MBBS doctor from the Philippines, claiming expertise in clinical cosmetology and running a skin and hair clinic in Anna Nagar. The accused has been booked after police registered an FIR six months later. 

According to the complainant, she lost the money after the accused convinced her to invest in a franchise of her clinic, which she claimed already had franchises in Hyderabad, Tirupati, Dubai, and the Philippines.

Since the complainant was not from a medical background, the accused even offered her an MBBS certificate to help get a license and practice in the franchise of the clinic that will be opened with the complainant's money. 

Also read- Fake MBBS doctor posing as cosmetology expert dupes woman of Rs 70 Lakh in franchise scam, FIR registered

As per a TNIE news report, the incident took place when the complainant met the accused in July 2024 at a skin and hair clinic named London Beautorium in Anna Nagar. The accused claimed she was an MBBS graduate from the Philippines and had experience in clinical cosmetology. She also offered training certificates and claimed her brand had franchises in Hyderabad, Tirupati, Dubai, and the Philippines.

It has been reported that the woman posted multiple videos on Instagram and YouTube claiming that she had franchises of her outlet, London Beautorium, in Hyderabad, Tirupati, Dubai and the Philippines. There are also videos of the Tirupati franchise inaugurated by a former Andhra Pradesh minister and a popular film star.

London Beautorium, in its social media handle, showed the accused as a doctor. There are videos of her and others performing such treatments and projects in branches in other countries and cities in India.

On July 15, 2024, the accused gave the complainant an aesthetic injectable treatment. Later, she convinced her to invest in a franchise of London Beautorium. Trusting her, Riji invested Rs 70 lakh. But soon, she realised that the degree and documents were fake, and that unqualified people were performing medical procedures under her brand.

"Her MBBS degree is fake, and the training certificates she issues are also not genuine. By illegally allowing non-MBBS doctors to perform such skin and hair procedures, she was violating medical safety laws and endangering public health," the complainant said. 

The victim filed complaints with the Tamil Nadu Medical Council (TNMC), the Directorate of Medical Services (DMS), and also approached the Central Crime Branch (CCB) with evidence. However, the police dismissed her complaint in June, calling it a civil offence, not a criminal case.

Despite having strong evidence and filing multiple complaints, the victim had to run from one authority to another for over six months just to get a First Information Report (FIR) registered.

The police ultimately registered an FIR in this regard after the complainant moved the Egmore magistrate court, and the magistrate on July 3 ruled that her averments made out a cognisable offence and that the CCB should investigate it and register an FIR, if a prima facie case is made out.

Apart from being defrauded, Nair has filed complaints with the TN Medical Council and Directorate of Medical Services demanding action against the accused for impersonating a medical professional, forgery and violating medical education standards. 

Besides her case, another person, 32-year-old R. Muthuraman, has also filed a complaint against her for similar fraud. The matter is currently under investigation. 

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