Mumbai: A pharmaceutical businessman from Sion has reportedly been duped of ₹5.66 lakh by a fraudster impersonating a doctor from Santacruz’s V. N. Desai Hospital, according to a complaint filed with the Sion Police. The accused, identifying himself as Dr. Dipanshu Verma, allegedly placed fake medicine orders and handed over bounced cheques through an accomplice, an autorickshaw driver.
Modus Operandi
The complainant, Nilesh Shivprasad Singh, 40, a Bhayandar (West) resident and owner of Kalyan Pharma in Sion East, stated that on April 30, he received a call from the accused posing as a doctor from V. N. Desai Hospital. The caller urgently placed a medicine order worth ₹1.53 lakh and confirmed the order over WhatsApp.
Singh’s employee, Sachin Yadav, delivered the medicines near the hospital, where the alleged doctor connected a third person via conference call, claiming him to be a rickshaw driver. The driver collected the medicines and handed over a cheque from Punjab National Bank.
On May 1 and May 2, which included a bank holiday, Singh received two more similar orders. These were also delivered by his staff and cheques were issued—this time from Punjab National Bank and Canara Bank.
When Singh deposited all three cheques on May 2, they bounced—two were from blocked accounts and one had insufficient funds. Attempts to contact the impersonator failed as the phone was switched off.
Reality Check and FIR
Growing suspicious, Singh visited V. N. Desai Hospital and discovered that no doctor by the name of Dr. Dipanshu Verma was employed there. Realising he had been conned, Singh approached Sion Police Station and lodged an FIR.
Legal Action and Investigation
The Sion Police have registered a case under:
- Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act (cheating by personation using computer resources)
- Sections 3(5) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)
An investigation is ongoing to trace and apprehend the accused and his accomplice, the autorickshaw driver.
