Fake orthopaedic surgeon arrested for using forged degrees, Fraudulent IDs

Mumbai: A fake orthopaedic surgeon has been arrested for allegedly duping patients by pretending to be a qualified and certified medical practitioner at several top private hospitals in the western suburbs without a valid medical degree. He is currently in judicial custody.

The conman was practising medicine with fake degrees, endangering patients' lives, threatening individuals, and misusing personal documents to fraudulently obtain official IDs and a passport.

It came to light that the fake doctor had misused a vacated residential address in Juhu to create fake documents like an Aadhaar card, voter ID, and passport. Shockingly, he had been under investigation since 2015, but still managed to continue his illegal activities.

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The accused was arrested after a complaint was filed by Avinash Suresh Saminder, a 24-year-old food delivery worker from Chembur. Senior inspector Ravindra Katkar confirmed the arrest and said that the fraudster has been sent to judicial custody by a local court, reports TOI.

According to Saminder’s complaint, he had been struggling with a chronic spine condition since 2016-17 and visited the fake doctor at a hospital in the western suburbs on November 19, 2024, after learning about the doctor online.

When he met with the fake doctor and complained about his back pain, the accused allegedly brushed off his pain as a minor issue and prescribed painkillers and exercises. However, Saminder’s condition worsened after following the advice.

Later, when Saminder spoke to his friend Ashok Kabale, who warned him about the doctor’s suspicious treatment. His friend alleged that the accused had falsely used the residential address of one Prithviraj Ratanlal Bhatia in Juhu — long vacated by a mutual acquaintance — to obtain an Aadhaar card, voter ID, passport, and other documents under false pretences.

To verify the doctor’s credentials, the complainant's friend contacted the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC), which oversees the licensing of allopathic doctors and has the power to suspend or revoke the licences of allopathic doctors. The MMC informed him that the doctor’s degree had been under investigation since 2015.

Following this, Saminder approached the Worli police and lodged a formal complaint. Based on it, the police arrested the accused and are continuing an investigation in this regard.

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