Pollution control license fraud: Mumbai Doctor couple loses Rs 3 lakh, fraudster arrested

Mumbai: A doctor couple in the area became a victim of a major fraud after they were deceived by a 23-year-old fraudster and one of his associates who impersonated as a senior inspector from the health department of the Pollution Control Board, resulting in a loss of approximately Rs 3 lakh.

In response to this, the police arrested the accused from Bhopal based on the doctor's complaint. Although the police managed to apprehend the main accused, one of his associates is still at large. 

The accused is a student who runs a business in Bhopal. On the other hand, the victim has been identified as a 70-year-old doctor who has been running a clinic in Malad with his wife who is also a doctor for the past 40 years. 

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The incident took place two months ago in August 2023 when the doctor couple received a call from an unknown person who presented himself as Singh, a senior inspector from the health department of the Pollution Control Board. 

As per a media report in TOI, the person who faked his identity is believed to be the associate of the accused. Singh contacted the doctor and conveyed the urgent need for a mandatory licence from the Pollution Control Board, stating that failure to obtain it would result in the closure of their clinic. He emphasized the severity of the situation by threatening to seal the clinic within an hour if the license was not acquired. Furthermore, Singh claimed that a patient had reported the incident to the health department.

In response to this, the doctor requested documentation regarding the complaint lodged against his clinic. The caller, however, stated that the paperwork would only be provided once the clinic was sealed.

Taking advantage of the doctor's trust, the caller proceeded to ask for a payment of Rs 40,000 in exchange for an immediate license. Falling into the trap, the doctor scanned the QR code sent by the caller and made the payment. Exploiting the situation further, the caller contacted the doctor again and informed him that his wife would require a separate license from the Pollution Control Board for her medical practice, attempting to extract more money from the doctor.

However, the caller started to demand money citing various reasons but the doctor refused to pay money when he did not receive a license. Realising that he was duped, the doctor had already lost Rs 3 lakh. 

Subsequently, he approached the Bangur Nagar police and filed a complaint. While investigating the case, the police found the doctor's money in the bank account of the main accused and arrested him under various relevant sections of IPC. 

An investigation into the case is underway. 

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