15 December,2021 07:37 AM IST | Mumbai | Diwakar Sharma
Sunil Wadkar, 44, served as the chief medical officer of VVCMC for five years
A Former chief medical officer of the Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) has been arrested by the human trafficking cell of the Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar commissionerate as the accused failed to produce his MBBS degree and the registration number with the state medical council was found to be belonging to someone else. Cops are probing various angles including possible link to civic officials to large number of death certificates issued by the hospital.
The case came to light after MBVV police commissioner Sadanand Date's office received a tip-off alleging that Sunil Wadkar, who runs Highway Hospital in Virar East, did not have a valid MBBS degree. Following this, Bhaskar Pukale, senior inspector of human trafficking cell, and his team reached the hospital and asked Wadkar to produce his MBBS degree.
The accused, Sunil Wadkar, was earlier arrested in rape cases filed by his colleagues
Pukale said, "He could not produce his MBBS certificate and his registration number with the Maharashtra Medical Council was found to be belonging to someone else." "Since Wadkar could not produce his degree and documents to us during initial enquiry, we registered a case under sections 419, 420 of the IPC for cheating and sections 36, 37 of the Maharashtra Medical Practitioners Act at Virar police station and he was arrested," Taluka Health Officer Dr Yojana Jadhav told mid-day.
Sources at Virar police station told mid-day that Wadkar, who served as a CMO during 2009-2014 before he was kicked out, hit headlines when he was arrested in rape cases filed by his colleagues at Virar and Waliv police stations. "This is the third FIR against Wadkar," added the source. Police have widened the scope of investigation and are probing all angles including organ smuggling, forged death certificates, involvement of civic officials and politicians, etc. apart from how he managed to get the coveted post with the civic body without a valid certificate. "We are checking his files with the VVCMC. The involvement of some insiders in the civic body cannot be ruled out," said a police officer.
The source added that police have recovered a large number of death certificates issued by the hospital. Dr Jadhav said, "Many patients have died at Highway Hospital. How he managed to get the death certificate to relatives of the deceased is a matter of investigation." "We are collecting documentary evidence such as if a patient died during treatment, what all treatment was done, what medicines were administered, who treated the patient, etc. We are also probing how the death certificate was issued, which municipal corporation issued them and how, etc," said the officer.
Police raided the hospital following a tip-off. Pic/Hanif Patel
"The hospital is registered under Wadkar's name. His wife has got a certificate in nursing from a Civil Hospital Thane in 2013 to conduct Medical Termination of Pregnancy and Tubal Ligation," said Dr Jadhav. An officer privy to the probe told mid-day that the hospital has been sealed till further notice. "Wadkar's wife's role is also under scanner," said cops. "Wadkar also owns two more hospitals which fall under VVCMC jurisdiction. These hospitals will also face crackdown very soon," Dr Jadhav told mid-day.
The action has been taken under MBVV police's âAll Out Operation'. "We are running an All Out Operation in MBVV police commissionerate under which all illegal activities will face legal crackdown. Our Human Trafficking Cell got lead in this fake doctor and hospital case, subsequently we probed and booked Wadkar," said a police officer.
