Health Department Seals Clinic, Police Probe Both Medical Fraud and Conversion Charges
Jabalpur: In a significant crackdown, the Jabalpur police have arrested a man accused of impersonating a doctor and operating a fake medical clinic in the Ranjhi area. The clinic, according to authorities, was not only illegally prescribing allopathic medicines without valid credentials but was also allegedly being used to distribute religious literature aimed at converting patients.
The arrest followed multiple complaints from local residents, prompting the Health Department to conduct a raid. During the operation, officials discovered that the accused had no formal medical qualifications or registration, yet was actively treating patients.
Leaders from Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal have alleged that the man was using his medical setup as a front for religious conversion. They claimed he handed out pamphlets with content offensive to Hindu deities, and sought strong legal action. “Treating patients without a license is dangerous in itself. Distributing insulting literature to convert them is even more serious,” said VHP coordinator Sumit Singh Thakur.
Additional Superintendent of Police Anand Kaladgi confirmed the arrest and stated that the clinic has been sealed. “We are investigating both the unauthorised medical practice and the allegations of religious conversion,” he told Free Press Journal, adding that all seized medicines and literature are being examined.
A separate case is likely to be registered by the Health Department for violating medical regulations. Meanwhile, police are questioning the accused to determine if any patients were harmed or if the conversion efforts were part of a larger organized activity.
Authorities have also urged citizens to be cautious and seek treatment only from certified medical professionals. The incident comes in the wake of other recent cases across Madhya Pradesh involving fake doctors, including one where a Missionary Hospital’s cath lab in Damoh was sealed following reports of botched heart procedures by an unqualified practitioner.
