2 FMGs arrested for allegedly using forged documents to get Maharashtra medical council registration
Mumbai: The nodal cyber police of Maharashtra have arrested two foreign medical degree holders for allegedly using forged documents to obtain registration from the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC).
These two foreign medical degree holders are from the list of 22 such medical graduates from abroad who were earlier booked for allegedly uploading fake and suspicious documents on the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) portal to obtain temporary registration, even though they have not cleared the mandatory screening test, i.e., the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE).
According to the existing rules by the National Medical Commission (NMC), after obtaining their undergraduate medical degrees from abroad, the FMGs are required to clear the FMGE screening test, conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), and thereafter undergo the mandatory internship to be eligible to practice medicine in India. Only after clearing the screening test, the FMGs get provisional registration, which is required for being allotted internship seats, from the State Medical Council.
While police have arrested two out of these 22 FMGs, they have also named 19 others as wanted accused in the case. Allegedly, they accessed the online portal of MMC without authorisation, created login profiles and uploaded forged or altered documents to get MMC registration. According to a TOI report, both the FMGs detained by the police are from Buldhana district.
How did the matter come to light?
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the matter came to light on August 7 when the council computer operator and senior clerk noticed suspicious documents in the online profiles of some of the FMGs. Allegedly, these candidates had not cleared the FMGE screening test, conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS).
Maharashtra Medical Council Registrar Rakesh Waghmare reportedly checked the login profiles of the candidates who had failed to clear the FMGE test and were temporarily registered on the Council's online portal.
He allegedly found fake and suspicious documents uploaded in the profiles of 22 candidates. When Waghmare informed the state medical council administrator, Dr. Vinky Rughwani, about this, he directed Waghmare to approach the cyber police.
In the complaint filed by the MMC Registrar, it was also alleged that the accused candidates created or uploaded forged and suspicious documents through the FMG Council's online portal with the intention to secure registration. Waghmare further submitted that the documents and other material available with the medical council to the investigating agency.
Reportedly, during the verification process, the Medical Council identified more than 30 such candidates. The Nodal Cyber Police Station was conducting an investigation into the alleged forgery, unauthorised access and use of the online registration system.
Now, two out of 22 candidates have been arrested. Police said that the accused did not provide satisfactory information regarding the preparation of the documents, financial transactions involved, or the credit card that was allegedly used for accessing the MMC portal. After the accused were produced before the Court, they were remanded to four days' police custody.
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