After 50 C-sections in 10 years, doc with fake degree lands in cop net

Time of India

2 days ago

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Guwahati/Silchar: A fake doctor, who performed atleast 50 C-section and gynaecological surgeries over a decade at two private hospitals in
Silchar
, has finally landed in police net after being caught in the act.
The accused, Pulok Malakar, was produced before a local court on Monday, which remanded him in five-day police custody. He was arrested a day earlier.
Malakar, claimed to possess an MBBS degree and a CDM Pune qualification. CDM Pune refers to a certificate in disaster management course offered through distance and open learning.
Malakar is the 50th fake doctor caught in the state under an initiative of one Dr Abhijit Neog, who is now the vigilance officer of the anti-quackery cell under the Assam Council of Medical Registration.
While fake doctors have been caught from various parts of the state over the years, including the capital Guwahati, the arrest of Malakar was the first case where a fake doctor was apprehended for conducting major surgeries.
The quack was nabbed while performing a caesarean section at a private hospital in Silchar. The accused is from Badrpurghat in Sribhumi district and reportedly masqueraded as a qualified medical practitioner for an extended period at the hospital.
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He allegedly conducted surgeries and offered various treatments at the autonomous charitable hospital from where he was arrested.
"From a reliable source, our cell got the information that he was performing a surgery at the hospital," Dr Neog told TOI on Monday.
Prior to the arrest, a zero FIR was lodged by Dr Neog on July 30 at the CID police station in Guwahati. He said prior to lodging the FIR, the anti-quackery cell, after investigation, found that Malakar did not have any medical qualification.
"He does not have a valid registration number as a doctor. CDM is a six-month correspondence course offered by IGNOU and has nothing to do with medical science," Dr Neog added.
Police sources revealed that Malakar submitted certificates claiming to have medical qualifications from the Odisha Council of Medical Registration and Utkal University. However, preliminary verification suggests that the documents were dubious and not legally tenable.
Officials said the conditions of the patients operated on by Malakar will be examined following the seizure of hospital records. Sources said while tea gardens, semi-urban, and rural areas are vulnerable to the menace of fake doctors, the recent arrest of several quacks from Guwahati raised concern among the patients in the state capital as well.
It may be noted that the hospital from where Malakar was nabbed on Sunday evening was founded in 1931, one of the oldest in Silchar. This hospital has a long-standing reputation for serving the poor and underprivileged in the northeast, especially women and children. The exposure of such a serious lapse has dented the hospital's credibility and raised questions about oversight and verification protocols, officials said.