16 'Munna Bhais' in Surat: Class 10 pass ran clinic for 33 years, caught in sting

In a real-life version of Munna Bhai MBBS, 16 fake doctors, some educated only up to Class 10 or 12, were arrested in Surat for running unauthorised clinics.

In Short

• 16 fake doctors arrested in Surat for running clinics
• Accused prescribed medicines, gave injections as qualified doctors
• Officials sent fake doctors to clinics, raids followed

Sixteen fake doctors, some of whom had studied only up to Class 10 or 12, have been arrested in Surat for running clinics without medical qualifications and treating patients with allopathic medicines.

In the real-life version of the Bollywood film Munna Bhai MBBS, the accused posed as qualified doctors, prescribed medicines, administered injections and put patients on saline and glucose drips.

The arrests were made during a joint operation by the Special Operations Group (SOG) and the district health department in the Pandesara industrial area. Police said three of the accused had previously been caught for similar offences, while one man who had passed Class 10 had allegedly been running clinics at different locations for 33 years.

The clinics raided during the operation were found to be in a deplorable condition, according to the authorities.

The SOG received information that people without recognised medical qualifications were operating clinics in the area. To verify the information, officers sent dummy patients to several suspected clinics.

After confirming the allegations, the SOG formed teams in coordination with Chief District Health Officer Anil B Patel. Simultaneous raids were then conducted at 16 clinics in the area early in the morning.

The operation led to the arrest of all 16 alleged fake doctors for treating patients without the required medical qualifications or registration.

Pandesara, an industrial hub with several workers' settlements and labour colonies, is home to a large number of migrant workers from other states.

According to police, the accused originally belonged to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Some had previously worked as compounders or helpers at hospitals or under doctors in their home states.

After moving to Surat, they allegedly began treating workers for common illnesses, including fever and malaria, while posing as qualified doctors.

Despite lacking the necessary medical qualifications and registration, the accused allegedly prescribed allopathic medicines, including painkillers and antibiotics, administered injections and put patients on glucose or saline drips.

Among those arrested, three had previously faced action for similar offences.

Siyaram Maurya, 54, who ran Sai Dham Clinic, had been practising for 24 years. He was first caught in Pandesara in 2002. Vinod Vishwas, 58, who ran Chancey Clinic, had studied up to Class 12 but had been practising for 30 years. He was caught in 2008.

Saddam Bankhan, 31, who ran Neer Clinic, had also studied up to Class 12 and had previously been caught by the Special Operations Group (SOG). Kapilkumar Arjun Prasad Verma, 58, who ran Free Seva Sadan, had studied up to Class 10 and had been running clinics at different locations for 33 years.

The other accused include Mahendra Singh Yadav, 53, a BA Honours graduate who ran Bharat Clinic; Paritosh Roy, 57, who had studied up to Class 10 and ran Probir Clinic; Alok Singh, 38, a BSc graduate who ran Navdeep Clinic; Ajit Kumar Singh, 30, a BA graduate who ran Pratima Clinic; Jitendra Verma, 45, who had studied up to Class 10 and ran Gurukripa Clinic; and Gautam Prasad, 23, who had studied up to Class 12 and ran an unnamed clinic in Ranchod Nagar.

The remaining accused are Palash Bhakta, 42, who ran Radha Clinic; Maheshwar Vishwas, 45, who ran Sai Clinic; Satyendra Yadav, 52, who ran Narayan Clinic; Surendra Prasad Mehta, 51, a BSc graduate who ran Mehta Clinic; Suniti Kumar Vishwas, 49, who ran Surendra Clinic; and Sanjeet Kumar Singh, 44, who ran Shri Krishna Clinic. All six had studied up to Class 12, except Mehta, who holds a BSc degree.

The arrests have highlighted the alleged practice of unqualified individuals treating patients in an industrial area with a large migrant workforce. Authorities conducted raids at all 16 identified clinics, where the accused were allegedly providing medical treatment without recognised qualifications or registration.

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