Mumbai Crime Branch and BMC medical officers acted against five people allegedly practising medicine without required qualifications or licences in Govandi, Deonar and Bandra. Police seized medical items worth Rs 1.19 lakh and arrested two accused.
Mumbai: The Mumbai Police Crime Branch has taken action against five people allegedly practising medicine without the required qualifications and licences across Govandi, Deonar and Bandra areas of the city. The operation was carried out by Crime Branch Units 6 and 8 in coordination with medical officers from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
According to the police, some of the accused possessed BHMS degrees but were allegedly treating patients with allopathic medicines, while others had no recognised medical qualification. One of the accused, who was operating a clinic in Bandra East, was found to have studied only up to Class 12 and allegedly produced certificates suspected to be fake.
Five alleged fake doctors targeted in Mumbai
The Crime Branch and BMC medical officers conducted action against five clinics allegedly operating as regular medical centres without the necessary registrations. Four of the clinics were located in Zakir Hussain Nagar in Deonar and the Govandi area, while another was located in the Naigaon-Bandra East area. Police said none of the five accused was registered with the Maharashtra Medical Council. The alleged practitioners were reportedly examining and treating patients despite not having the necessary licence to practise allopathic medicine.
Among those targeted was Dr Sagir Clinic, run by Sagir Ahmed Abdul Majid Hashmi, 39, who was arrested.
Some accused had BHMS degrees but allegedly prescribed allopathic medicines
At Govandi’s Ayesha Clinic, the clinic board identified Dr Mehmood Alam as a BHMS practitioner. The board also mentioned other qualifications and a registration number. Similarly, a board outside Govandi’s Gayatri Clinic identified Dr A.K. Dubey as a BHMS family physician and displayed timings for seeing patients in the morning and evening. Police issued notices to the two practitioners and released them with instructions to keep only homoeopathic medicines at their clinics.
Both allegedly admitted their mistake and apologised on camera to India TV.
Rs 1.19 lakh worth of medicines and medical equipment seized
During the operation, police seized medicines and medical equipment worth Rs 1,19,324. The seized material reportedly included different types of injection vials, syringes, antibiotic tablets, blood pressure monitors, stethoscopes, blood sugar testing machines, nebulisers and other medical equipment. Police said the action was aimed at people allegedly providing medical treatment without the required qualifications or registration.
Who are the five people under action?
The five people identified in the police action are Sagir Ahmed Abdul Majid Hashmi (39) of Dr Sagir Clinic, who was arrested; Akhilesh Kumar Devendra Kumar Dubey (47) of Gayatri Clinic, who was issued a notice; Mehmood Alam Mohammad Sharif Sheikh (36) of Ayesha Clinic, who was also issued a notice; Keshav Prasad Kuddur Patel (56) of Patel Clinic, who was arrested; and Mohammad Aftab Shaukat Khan (56) of Aftab Khan Clinic, against whom the most serious allegations have been levelled.
Cases have been registered against the five accused at Deonar and Nirmal Nagar police stations, according to the information provided by the police.
Bandra clinic had four patients waiting for treatment
The most serious allegations have emerged against Mohammad Aftab Shaukat Khan, 56, who operated a clinic in Bandra East. According to police, four patients were waiting to be treated when the Crime Branch raided the clinic. During questioning, Khan allegedly told police that he had studied only up to Class 12 and did not possess any medical qualification.
Police said he produced certain medical certificates that he claimed had been issued by the Maharashtra Council of Indian Medicine and the All India Ayurveda Vidyapeeth. Investigators suspect that these certificates may be fake.
The police investigation is now focused on establishing how the accused were operating the clinics, what qualifications and registrations they possessed and whether patients were exposed to any risk through the alleged unauthorised treatment.
The action also highlights the distinction between holding a qualification in one system of medicine and being legally authorised to practise another. In the cases where BHMS-qualified practitioners were allegedly using allopathic medicines, police issued notices and seized the allopathic medicines found at their clinics.
