Fake doc pulls off Rs 8.25 lakh knee surgery scam

The accused met the woman outside a Vile Parle hospital and followed her for a short distance. Representation pic

A fake medical treatment scam has resurfaced in Mumbai, where a fake doctor performed knee surgery on a 55-year-old woman and defrauded her of Rs 8.25 lakh. The Vile Parle police have registered an FIR against three gang members involved in the scam. Authorities suspect that 30-40 other people may have been cheated using the same modus operandi. mid-day previously exposed a similar scam involving fraudsters targeting cancer patients with the same tactics.

In this scheme, the accused met the woman outside a Vile Parle hospital and followed her for a short distance. He inquired about her knee pain and fabricated a story about how his mother had also suffered from knee issues but was cured by a Thane-based doctor. The accused provided the contact number of the fake doctor and advised her to seek treatment.

The fake doctor visited the woman's home and performed a superficial knee surgery using a blade. However, after a few days, the knee pain persisted, and the clinic was found to be non-existent.

The Vile Parle police have filed charges against fraudsters and fake doctors Firoz Merchant, Kailas Kumar Mandal, and Sumant Kumar under Sections 34, 406, and 420. Authorities believe all suspects used fake names. All the accused are yet to be arrested.

According to the police, the complainant lives with her husband in JB Nagar, Andheri East. She had been experiencing knee pain since 2017 and was receiving treatment at Jaslok hospital in Tardeo. Although her condition improved temporarily, the pain recurred in 2021.

A police officer said, "On September 17 last year, while returning from a hospital in Vile Parle, a person introduced himself to the complainant as Vijay Mehta. He claimed that his mother had similar issues and was treated by a doctor named Firoz Merchant in Thane, who had supposedly cured her with minimally invasive surgery. The complainant's husband contacted Firoz based on this referral to arrange an appointment."

Fake surgery

Firoz requested turmeric and water, and then made small cuts on both knees with a blade, inserting a small pipe into each cut. He extracted yellowish liquid through the pipes. He instructed his assistant to measure the liquid and told the complainant that there was a significant amount of pus in her knees that needed to be removed until blood appeared. Firoz performed this procedure about 200 times, charging Rs 4,000 each time, resulting in an Rs 8 lakh bill.

A police officer said, "After the complainant requested a reduction in the bill, Firoz initially took an advance of Rs 10,000 and later Rs 6.15 lakh via cheque. A week later, Firoz demanded an additional Rs 2 lakh, claiming there was still pus in her knees. This amount was also paid via cheque."

No such clinic exists

The complainant travelled to Odisha for a few days. Upon returning, her knee pain resumed, and she tried contacting Firoz again. Firoz gave various excuses, including being out, his mother's death, or an accident. Suspecting fraud, the complainant's husband visited the clinic's address in Thane in November 2023, only to find that no clinic had operated there for the past three years. He learned that 30-40 others had also been defrauded by the same doctor.

30-40
No. of people cheated