Gujarat Police have arrested 14 individuals posing as doctors after they purchased fake medical degrees from a gang operating in Surat. The primary suspect, Dr. Ramesh Gujarati, is also among those arrested for his involvement in orchestrating the illegal operation.
The gang, which offered fake degrees for as low as ₹70,000 each, had a database containing over 1,200 counterfeit medical degrees. These degrees, supposedly issued by the “Board of Electro Homoeopathic Medicine (BEHM) Gujarat,” were sold to individuals, including those with no formal medical training, such as Class 8 graduates. The police discovered hundreds of forged applications, certificates, and stamps during their investigation.
The bust followed reports of three individuals practicing allopathy with fake medical degrees in Surat. Upon raiding their clinics, the police found that the degrees they presented were issued by BEHM, a nonexistent entity, as confirmed by the Gujarat government. The gang had been operating a fake website to register these fake degrees.
According to the police, Dr. Ramesh Gujarati and his associates identified a gap in regulation for electro-homoeopathy in India and decided to capitalize on it. They established the fake BEHM, offering courses and degrees in electro-homoeopathy. Initially, the gang trained individuals in the practice, claiming they could prescribe electro-homoeopathic medicines, but later switched to offering degrees linked to the Gujarat Ayush Ministry.
The accused charged ₹70,000 for each degree, promising buyers the ability to practice allopathy, homoeopathy, and Aarogya medicine without issue. Certificates were issued within just 15 days of payment, with the added stipulation that doctors had to renew their degrees annually for fees ranging from ₹5,000 to ₹15,000. Those unable to pay renewal fees were reportedly threatened by the gang.
The police have also uncovered that two members of the gang, Shobhit and Irfan, were involved in embezzling money through the scam. The arrests have shed light on a growing issue of medical malpractice, prompting authorities to urge vigilance against such fraudulent operations in the healthcare sector.
Sources By Agencies