‘Fake doctor’ arrested in Nalasopara after VVMC raid

Mumbai: The Nalasopara police have arrested a Class 12 dropout who allegedly posed as a doctor and treated patients for over a decade without having a valid degree and licence.
The accused, identified as Tirumal Teli, had been practising allopathy at the Varsha Clinic in Nalasopara for 12 years. The 59-year-old was arrested after officials from the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) conducted a raid at his clinic on Sunday and found he did not have any degree or certificate to practise as a doctor.
“When we saw the board of the clinic, at Richard compound in Nalasopara, we went inside and the so-called doctor produced his ID card. The name on the card was Teli,” said Dr Vandana Vaisaikar, 47, health officer at VVMC. When Teli was asked about his credentials, he said that he was an HSC (Higher School Certificate) science student and preparing to do a Bachelor of Electro-Homeopathy Medicine and Surgery course, she added.
Teli was booked under section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code and several sections from the Maharashtra Medical Practitioners Act. The police’s investigation revealed that he had earlier worked as a compounder with a doctor and later opened his own clinic. “We have arrested Teli and are investigating further,” said Rajendra Nagarkar, senior police inspector of Nalasopara police station.
Several residents of Nalasopara said they were not aware that Teli was not a doctor. “He prescribed medicines from the nearby pharmacy and charged ₹120 for his diagnosis,” said Roushan Thapa, 24, a resident of Morya Naka in Vasai East who works with an internet service provider.
This is by no means a one-off case. The VVMC has raided at least 10 clinics in the Vasai-Virar region in the last six months that were allegedly run by so-called fake doctors. All 10, including Teli, have been arrested. Dr Bhakti Chaudhary, resident medical officer at VVMC who started the drive against fake doctors, said that residents had astonishingly not filed a single complaint against them.
Every year, the VVMC prepares a list of suspected clinics and doctors who do not have licences or proper degrees to practice medicine, said Choudhary. Generally, all government doctors and health officers leave their clinics by 5 pm, while the fake doctors operate post that to avoid getting caught. “This time we waited after 5 pm and raided 10 clinics which were on our list,” said Choudhary.
“We have sealed the clinics of these fake doctors and will make sure that they do not open practices elsewhere. We will create awareness among residents to keep a watch on doctors who do not display their degrees in their offices,” added Choudhary.