BERHAMPUR: An allegedly fake homoeopathy doctor running a clinic at Baidyanathpur in Berhampur was arrested on Tuesday on charges of raping a 17-year-old girl on pretext of providing her a degree in BSc in Nursing.
The accused, Bhabani Sankar Das, owns and operates Vajpayee Arogyadham. Police said two women have also been arrested for abetting the crime.
Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M said the aunt of the victim lodged a complaint with Baidyanathpur police on Monday night alleging that the girl was raped by Das. During investigation, police found that the girl’s mother came in contact with the fake doctor through an anganwadi worker Laxmi Naik (50). Laxmi assured the mother that she knows Das well and he gives free accommodation and education to poor and underprivileged girls.
Subsequently, the girl along with her mother and sister came to Vajpayee Arogyadham operating from the first floor of Raja Rani apartments near Courtpeta chowk in Berhampur, and met Das three days ago. The accused promised the family that he will get the girl a degree in BSc in Nursing besides providing free education and accommodation to her.
On Monday, the victim’s family dropped her at the accused’s clinic and left. At around 7 pm, Das reportedly took the girl to a flat on the third floor of the apartment where his assistant, Priyanka Sahu, gave the minor water to drink. After drinking the water, the girl felt uneasy. The accused then took her to the bedroom and allegedly raped her.
After the incident, the victim came back to her aunt’s house and both of them lodged a complaint with Baidyanathpur police. The SP said police registered a case on basis of the complaint. Medical examination of both the victim and accused was conducted and a scientific team visited Vajpayee Arogyadham to collect evidence. The three accused were produced in court.
Prima facie, it appears that the accused is a fake doctor with forged homoeopathy certificate. Investigation is underway to ascertain the authenticity of his degree and qualification, he added.