Mumbai: Quack running clinic booked for fifth time

Shaikh being arrested by crime branch officers

The Crime Branch Unit 12 of the Mumbai police has nabbed a fake doctor running a clinic using the Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery (BUMS) degree of his wife. Parvez Abdul Aziz Shaikh, 46, who was running the clinic in the Malwani area of Malad West, was arrested on Wednesday night. The police have also booked his wife Sajiya Sahab Ali and issued a notice under Section 41(A) for her to appear before the Malvani police for investigation, although it is alleged that she is absconding.

Crime branch officials have sealed the clinic and handed over the case, along with Shaikh, to the Malvani police for further investigation. According to Malwani police, crime branch officers received a tip-off regarding an individual without a medical degree practising in the area. Acting on this information, they alerted the medical officer from BMC's P North ward to conduct a surprise check at his clinic.

Parvez Abdul Aziz Shaikh

"At 1.30 pm on Wednesday, the team of officers, along with Medical Officer Mehmood Hussain Khan, reached Gate No. 7 of Khan Estate in Malwani, Malad West. They discovered a clinic named Aziz Poly Clinic behind Vedant Medical Store. The team also found six patients - all residents of Malwani - queued up for a doctor's examination," said an officer.

According to the officer, when the team entered the cabin, they found Shaikh wearing a stethoscope around his neck and administering an injection to Abdul Aziz Ansari, 65 - a shop owner and resident of Malwani. When questioned, Ansari said that he was suffering from asthma and had been visiting Shaikh for treatment. The medical officer also found two women in the clinic.

"When Khan asked Shaikh to furnish his degree or medical license, he confessed that he did not possess any degree or license to practice medicine. His wife possesses a BUMS degree and used to visit the clinic. Upon searching the clinic, the medical officer and the police found several medicines that were not allowed to be kept without a license," said an officer. Subsequently, Shaikh was arrested under Section 420 (cheating) and relevant sections of the Maharashtra Medical Practitioners Act.

It has also been reported that Shaikh ran a medical store without a license and treated patients using medicines obtained from there. He had started the medical store named Vedanta recently. Local residents, meanwhile, alleged that Shaikh had been arrested before but released on bail and resumed his illegal practice. An officer from Malvani police station said they have initiated strict action this time and a case has been registered under special charges, punishable with jail time of up to 10 years.

Shaikh was produced before court on Thursday and remanded to police custody till April 7. "His wife Sajiya Sahab Ali is at large we are searching for her," said Chimaji Adhav, senior inspector, Malvani police station. This is the fifth time that Shaikh has been booked for illegally practising medicine. He was first booked in Thane and thrice after that in Malvani. His wife Sajiya has been booked twice, including the latest case.

10 yrs
Maximum jail time fake doctor may face