Fake BEMS degree for Rs 70,000: 10 Quacks among 13 arrested in Gujarat

Surat: In a shocking incident, a fake Bachelor of Electro-Homeopathy Medicine and Surgery (BEMS) degree racket was busted in Gujarat's Surat, leading to the arrest of 13 persons, including 10 bogus doctors. Officials have recovered a list of degrees issued by the accused during the investigation.

Allopathic and homoeopathic medicines, injections, syrup bottles and certificates were found from the "clinics" of the accused, a police official said on Thursday.

According to the PTI report, "Three of the accused were selling bogus BEMS degrees for Rs 70,000. They have been identified as Surat-resident Rasesh Gujarathi, Ahmedabad-resident BK Rawat and their associate Irfan Saiyed. Our preliminary probe has found the racket was being operated by Gujarathi and Rawat under the garb of 'Board Of Electro Homeopathic Medicine, Ahmedabad'," a police release said.

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"Both the accused have sold such certificates to nearly 1,500 individuals. Some of these are only 10th pass. Gujarathi had started a college in Gopipura area in 2002 and offered a three-year course in Electro Homeopathy. However, he incurred a loss as he failed to find students for the course," the release said.

He then came into contact with Rawat and both started selling the degree for Rs 70,000 to anyone wanting to start their clinic and the duo used to give them degree certificates, marksheet, registration certificates and I-card within one week of admission in the course, the official said, news agency PTI reported.

They used to give assurance to the students that they can practice even allopathy and homeopathy with the help of this degree, he added.

As per a media report in The Indian Express, Officials found that three fake doctors were running clinics at various places, and they were giving allopathic medicines. They were booked under sections 30 and 33 of Gujarat Medical Practitioner Act.

The arrested doctors, Dr Shashikant Mohato (45), native of Begusarai in Bihar; Siddharth Debnath (38) and Parth Debnath (28), both natives of Nadiya district in West Bengal, were running clinics in different areas in Pandesara, said police.

During probe, the trio disclosed that they got the bogus degrees for Rs 75,000 from Rasesh Gujarathi, who allegedly runs a voluntary organisation, Govind Prabha Ayogya Sankul, and a college at Gopipura in Surat, officials said.

"Rawat also created a website named www.behmgujarat.com for the registration of such fake degree holders, who were never given any training or education. Every year, the duo used to collect Rs 3,000 from these quacks in the name of renewal of registration. Saiyed would intimidate those who raise objections about this annual fee of Rs 3,000," the release said.

Police found 10 blank degrees, 30 degrees with names, 160 application forms, 12 ID cards and a register having entries of 1,630 "doctors" who were given such degrees when Rawat's house was raided in Ahmedabad, the release said.

Apart from selling the bogus medical degrees, Gurjar underlined, the accused “were running two modules.

“In the first module, they were collecting Rs 1,500 as registration fees and Rs 1,500 as association member fees from each of the fake degree holders. In the second module, they were charging Rs 5,000 per month from such doctors who were earning well at their clinic. If the doctors failed to pay the amount, Irfan and Rasesh used to go to their place and threaten them with raids. Rasesh Gujarati has been running this operation since 2002.”, reports The Indian Express.

“Out of the total amount received from the application, Rasesh kept 70 per cent amount and the remaining 30 per cent, he transferred to Dr. B K Rawat.”

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