Quack practising as Ayurvedic doctor arrested in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: A 31-year-old man was arrested by the Berhampur police on Thursday for allegedly impersonating an Ayurvedic doctor and cheating numerous people in Odisha's Ganjam district.

The accused is a resident of Tinna Netajipalli village in Hooghly district in West Bengal. He has been operating this fraudulent clinic for several years pretending to be a doctor. His fraudulent activities came to light after a youth from Kandhamal district reported being cheated by the doctor.

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The accused doctor had allegedly taken Rs 12,000 from the ailing victim a few months ago, assuring him that the disease would be cured. However, after several months with no improvement, the victim returned to the clinic, where the doctor demanded an additional Rs 12,000 for further treatment. The frustrated victim then alerted the police which initiated an investigation against the doctor.

The police discovered that the accused doctor had similarly duped several other patients from Ganjam and nearby districts.

According to police sources, the accused fake doctor had dropped out from school after failing the class 8 examination. After that he worked as a food delivery boy in a hotel at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh for four years between 2016 and 2019. The accused later relocated in Berhampur city in 2019 where he rented house and has been residing there at the at Rampa Sahi under the Berhampur police station area since then.

The police sources further mentioned that the accused has been running a clinic at Mitra Street in the Gate Bazar area of Berhampur since 2019.

Upon discovering the fraudulent clinic the police seized multiple display boards, including "Krishna Piles Clinic" and "Sexual Health Clinic," which falsely presented him as a qualified practitioner. During the police also seized surgical instruments, Ayurvedic medicines, and other materials.

A wall painting advertising "GUPTA ROGA CHIKITSHALAYA B.A.M.S," along with the accused doctor's name, was also found at the illegal clinic, falsely claiming to hold a B.A.M.S (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) degree.

The accused doctor has reportedly been offering treatments for a range of health issues and diseases, including piles, anal fistula, sexual dysfunction, and erectile dysfunction.

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Upon investigation, the Berhampur police arrested Utpal Bala on Thursday. He was later presented before the court.