E-Paper
Fake doctor who assisted in 50 C-sections arrested from Assam hospital: Police
The fake doctor, identified as Pulak Malakar, had been working as an obstetrician and gynaecologist at Shiva Sundari Nari Sikshashram for several years
A 43-year-old man from Assam’s Sribhumi district was arrested in Cachar for impersonating a doctor using forged documents for nearly a decade and overseeing 50 caesarean surgeries at a hospital in Silchar, police said.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP), Cachar, Numal Mahatta, confirmed the development and said a detailed investigation is underway.
The fake doctor, identified as Pulak Malakar, had been working as an obstetrician and gynaecologist at Shiva Sundari Nari Sikshashram for several years and also worked in some other private hospitals since coming to Silchar in 2016, according to police records.
A case has been registered against Malakar under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) — including 125 (negligent acts endangering human life), 271 (negligently spreading infections dangerous to life), 318(4) (cheating), 319(2) (cheating by personation), 336(4) (forgery with intent to harm reputation), 340(2) (using forged documents as genuine), and 112(2) (petty organized crime).
“Based on credible intelligence, we apprehended Pulak Malakar, 43, son of Muktaranjan Malakar of Badarpur, Sribhumi district, who was impersonating a gynecologist and obstetrician using a forged MBBS certificate and documents,” Mahatta stated in an official release.
Also Read: Probe against ‘fake’ doctor shows 2013 hospital complaint
He added that Malakar’s documents were verified and found to be fake during examination, leading to the registration of the case. Malakar was produced before a court, and further investigation is ongoing to uncover his alleged malpractices and any associates involved.
Police investigations have revealed that Malakar began his career as a fourth-grade employee in private hospitals before gradually posing as a qualified doctor from 2016 onwards. He had allegedly obtained a forged MBBS degree from Sriram Chandra Bhanja Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Odisha.
“Malakar has confessed to purchasing fake certificates by paying a substantial amount to a racket believed to be operating in Barak Valley and other parts of the country,” an investigating official said.
Former Member of Parliament (MP) Rajdeep Roy stated that Malakar was given an opportunity to work at the institute on the recommendation of a senior doctor on behalf of the authorities of Shiva Sundari Nari Sikshashram, and no one was aware of his forged credentials at the time.
“We appoint assistants in various departments based on recommendations and trust. He was referred by a senior doctor, so we gave him a chance. However, he never performed a C-section surgery independently; he only assisted in some cases,” Roy clarified.
He further mentioned that nearly a month ago, hospital authorities became suspicious of Malakar’s credentials and initiated an internal inquiry.
“We were conducting an internal investigation when police suddenly arrived and detained him on Saturday. We are now cooperating fully with the police in their investigation,” Roy added.
