Mumbai: How quack surgeon duped his victims

The quack, who goes by several names, including Zaffar Merchant, according to the police

The Mumbai police are on the lookout for a fake doctor and his gang, who doled out multiple ‘ayurvedic treatments' and performed ‘surgeries' on numerous senior citizens. The quack, who sometimes goes by Zaffar Merchant, was booked after an Andheri woman whose mother was targeted by the conman in 2021 recently approached the Oshiwara police with photographs of him.

The Andheri woman, 61, had read about the plight of a woman from Kurla whose mother was similarly targeted and had a hunch that the accused was the same person whom she had encountered three years ago.

Using these photographs of the man taken by the woman at the time, the police identified the accused and verified that he had recently conned the woman from Kurla. Further investigation revealed that he was involved in over 30-40 cases across Vile Parle, Andheri, Cuffe Parade, Kurla and Vadodara in Gujarat. On Tuesday, three years after receiving a complaint against Merchant and his gang, the Oshiwara police registered an FIR.

Three years ago

Merchant had allegedly removed a whitish fluid mixed with blood from the knee of the Andheri woman's 81-year-old mother. He repeated the ‘procedure' about 120 times over two and a half hours, charging Rs 7.2 lakh for the ‘surgery'.

Speaking to mid-day, a member of the Andheri victim's family recalled, "In 2021, an unknown person approached my mother at a dental clinic in Andheri, inquiring about her knee pain. He claimed that his own mother had been cured by Merchant, who performed a minor procedure at home. After discussing it at home, we decided to call the doctor."

"Merchant visited with his equipment, made cuts on both knees and extracted a whitish fluid, placing it on a white paper. He also used turmeric during the procedure. He said he would charge Rs 6,000 each time he removed fluid and blood," the family member told mid-day.

However, the surgery did not help and the victim experienced knee pain the very next day. She later received treatment from a local doctor, which, fortunately, prevented infection from setting in. The family managed to capture photos of Merchant and they subsequently approached the Oshiwara police, who initially refused to file a complaint, stating they needed permission from the DCP. Despite multiple attempts, the police didn't act since the payment was made in cash.

The family member continued, "A few days ago, I read about a Kurla woman being scammed by a fake doctor. I immediately approached both the Kurla and Oshiwara police, telling them it was the same person who had duped us."

The Oshiwara police coordinated with the Kurla police, and after confirming the family's photo matched the description, finally registered the FIR.

A police source told mid-day, "During the investigation, the Oshiwara police found that this gang was involved in cases across Vile Parle, Kurla, and Vadodara. They have also closed around 34 fake bank accounts where money was transferred."

The victim's family told mid-day, "The police should trace and arrest these gang members. They are endangering the lives of senior citizens."