5 years on, Guj cops file FIR against 4 who sold fake MBBS degree for ₹16 lakh

The Mehsana police on June 14 registered a case of breach of trust and cheating against four individuals on a complaint by Suresh Patel

AHMEDABAD: A 41-year-old Gujarat man who bought a medical degree from Uttar Pradesh for ₹16 lakh but ended up with a forged document in 2019 has finally succeeded in getting the Gujarat Police to register a case and investigate the fraud, people familiar with the matter said.

Suresh Patel, who works at a private hospital in Nandasan village, told the police that he came across a website in 20018 that offered an MBBS degree

The Mehsana police on June 14 registered a case of breach of trust and cheating against four individuals on a complaint by Suresh Patel, who had been collecting evidence and pursuing the case with the police for the last five years.

In his complaint, Patel, who works at a private hospital in Nandasan village, said he came across a website in 20018 that offered an MBBS degree through an organization called the All India Alternative Medical Council and got in touch with the contact person, who identified himself as Dr Prem Kumar Rajput.

Rajput assured Patel that he could get an MBBS degree based on his Class 12 marks and promised it would be legal. Despite some reservations, Patel proceeded and paid an initial amount of ₹50,000 and received an admission letter from Bundelkhand University in Jhansi. Over the next several months, Patel paid a total of ₹16.32 lakh and received the degree, his marks sheet and training and registration certificates in his name.

The certificates had registration numbers issued by the Medical Council of India (MCI) and Gujarat Medical Council. When Patel approached the MCI, he was told that the documents were forged. He lodged a police complaint in 2019, which was initially transferred to the Ahmedabad crime branch.

The crime branch, however, did not register an FIR after its officers could not crack the case despite making a quick trip to Delhi.

But Patel persisted and gathered some more evidence. In December 2023, he gave a fresh complaint to the Mehsana superintendent of police (SP) office which led to the FIR being filed.