Quack with forged German degree held from Odisha's Ganjam

Cuttack: In a shocking incident, a 29-year-old man posing as an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) specialist doctor has been arrested on Monday for allegedly defrauding patients in the city by practising with fake medical qualifications at his illegal clinics.

After interrogating the accused, it came to light that he is a native of Sanda village under Parajang police limits in the Dhenkanal district.

The police arrested the accused under sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating and dishonesty), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using a forged document as genuine) and 170 (personating a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Panda has also been charged under section 33 of the Orissa Medical Registration Act and section 16 of the Orissa Clinical Registration Act.

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The police discovered the quackery while investigating the complaint of a woman who claimed that her mother had received treatment for a wrist joint fracture from the accused at a clinic. However, the patient started to experience kidney problems after taking the medicine given by the accused. 

Following this, the patient was taken to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur and later referred to AIIMS-Bhubaneswar as her condition deteriorated.

The crimes of the accused began to unfold after the police formed a team to nab the accused in connection with the case. The police team raided the residence of the accused and his clinic and found several evidence indicating his quackery. The accused was nabbed while he was on his way to visit one of his clinics at Dengausta near Digapahandi in Ganjam district.

Talking about this, SP Vivek informed The Indian Express “After receiving reliable information, we sent a police officer in civil attire to track his activities and tour schedule. We arrested him red-handed from his clinic on Monday. A raid was conducted at his rented house at Nuabazar in Cuttack and at a clinic in the Ranihat area from where letter pad and medicines were seized."

While interrogating the accused, the police discovered that he had been running several clinics at multiple locations in the state for months without valid degrees and registration certificates. The accused had been treating patients for the last six months at a clinic in Dengausta. Moreover, he was visiting clinics in Dengausta and Aska in Ganjam twice a month for the last six months and running a clinic in Cuttack for the past one and a half years.

The SP said, Panda was an under-graduate student of microbiology but impersonated himself as an orthopedic and spine surgery specialist having a German degree, reports PTI.

During the raid, the accused was asked to show his authorised medical qualifications following which he presented his fake documents to the police. It came to light that he was not registered as a qualified doctor as per the Orissa Medical Registration Act, 1961.

“On verification, the medical qualification specified by the accused doctor was found to be fake. The prescription given to Kumudini has also been seized. We are investigating the involvement of others in the case. Action will be taken accordingly,” the Berhampur SP said.

He was earlier arrested by Telangana police in February 2020 for attending a doctors’ meeting by posing as a member of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The accused is currently in police custody and further investigation into the case is underway. 

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