Madurai district police have arrested a quack, who was practising as a gastrologist, at Tiruparankundram near here on Friday.
Police said J Vilvanathan (28) of PRC Colony in Thanakkankulam was running a clinic named Karthick Clinical Lab on Nethaji Road in Tiruparankundram.
He was practicing as a gastrologist and was treating patients.
Meanwhile, SP V Balakrishnan received a number of complaints stating that the Karthick Clinical Lab was run in an illegal manner and its owner Vilvanathan was not a qualified medical practitioner.
Following instructions from the SP, a team led by Sub Inspector S Kamali, visited the clinic in mufti. After they obtained enough evidence about his illegal practice, the team conducted a search of the lab.
Even when the team entered the laboratory, Vilvanathan was treating a patient by administering some liquid medicine.
Meanwhile, another elderly woman was found obtaining a prescription and tablets from Vilvanathan for gastrology problems. When the police conducted an investigation with Vilvanathan, he confessed that he was not qualified medical practitioner. “He had completed only a one-year lab technician course through the Surabhi Institute in Dindigul last year. Then he opened the lab cum clinic on Nethaji Road. He had also used the name of reputed a gastrologist for his business. But, the doctor working in the GRH denied having any connections with Vilvanathan during the investigation,” said the police.
Police also seized stethoscopes, medicines and injection vials from his clinic. No banned drug was found.