Cop bust racket, worried that 300 fake Ayurvedic doctors practise in Mumbai’s eastern suburbs

When patients come for treatment, they pretend to treat them for a few days and then refer them to another fake doctor

The Nehru Nagar police has busted a racket of fake Ayurvedic doctors after the arrest of the third quack from Govandi and has the apprehension that nearly 300 such fake doctors are running their ‘clinics’ in the eastern part of the city.

A chain of fake doctors make the patients rotate in their circle and extract money from them in the name of treatment. (HT FIle Photo/)

The Nehru Nagar police on Monday arrested 35-year-old Jamal Shaikh, who had been running his clinic at Govandi. His name was revealed by Zahir Ahmed Shaikh, 36; and Sarfaraz Hussain, both of whom were arrested on Saturday.

“This is a chain of fake doctors, who make the patients rotate in their circle and extract money from them in the name of treatment,” said police sub-inspector Sarjerao Patil from Nehru Nagar police station.

Jamal too did not have any degree or certificate in Ayurveda medicines. He had been working as a compounder and had learned basic tricks from his former employer. Patil said like Jamal, Zahir and Sarfaraz too were from Uttar Pradesh and were related to each other.

He explained their modus: when a patient comes to one of them for treatment, they pretend to treat him for a few days and then refer him to the other fake doctor for advanced treatment, and charge the patient whatever they deemed fit.

“There are more than 300 other such fake doctors who reside in Mumbra and have their clinics in the eastern region of the city,” said Patil, hinting that the police will investigate and make more arrests in the region.

A week ago, they had received a complaint from a mechanic, Abdul Iliyas Khan, 27, that inspite of going through a treatment for three months, he had not been cured. Khan told the police, when he went to Zahir, he was told he would get better, but would have to spend Rs4,200 for medicines and the treatment. The police then booked the quacks and began investigation.