
BERHAMPUR: Gopalpur police in Berhampur on Wednesday arrested a 48-year-old-man for posing as a doctor and providing medical diagnosis to gullible patients without necessary qualification.
The accused is Anil Kumar Sahu of Golabandha village. Police seized medical equipment and certificates, believed to be forged, from Anil’s clinic.
Sources said police were informed that Anil was pretending to be a doctor and treating patients at his residence-cum-clinic. He was also selling medicines to patients there.
To verify the claims, a police team led by Gopalpur IIC Prashant Malik reached Anil’s clinic. A signboard was found hanging near the main entrance on which ‘Dr Anil Kumar Sahu - MMBS (AM) DMLT’ was written in both Odia and English. Some patients and medicine representatives were also found waiting at the clinic while the accused was sitting inside a glass chamber.
When the IIC asked Anil to show his credentials, the latter failed to give any satisfactory answer. The accused said he has obtained a degree from Calcutta and produced some certificates and documents which appeared to be of questionable origin and fake.
On further grilling, Anil admitted that he had no authority or licence to practice medicine and was posing as a doctor since many years and treating patients. Police seized the certificates and medical equipment from the clinic in presence of witnesses and prepared the seizure list.
A case was registered against the accused under sections 318 (4)/319 (2) of BNS. Anil was arrested and produced in court. Investigation is underway to ascertain for how long the accused was operating as a fake doctor, said the IIC.