After fake officers, offices and sham government officials, the cracks in the much-vaunted “Gujarat Model” have deepened with the unravelling of an organised racket in Surat of selling fake medical degrees.
Gujarat Police has now busted a gang selling fake medical degrees, enabling unqualified individuals, including Class 8 dropouts, to masquerade as doctors.
The gang was led by a man identified as Dr Rashesh Gujarati. Charging Rs 70,000 per certificate, the gang’s operation risked countless lives. The police arrested 14 fake doctors practising with these bogus qualifications, which were issued by a fabricated entity called the “Board of Electro Homoeopathic Medicine (BEHM) Gujarat.”
A raid revealed a massive database of 1,200 fake degrees, hundreds of applications, forged stamps and other incriminating materials. Officials confirmed that Gujarat has no provision for such degrees.
The racket came to light when authorities raided the clinics of three individuals practising allopathy with fake credentials. When scrutinised, the suspects produced BEHM-issued certificates, which the police immediately identified as fraudulent.
The mastermind, Rashesh Gujarati, exploited a regulatory gap around electro-homoeopathy in India. Gujarati even trained five associates to teach others how to prescribe electro-homoeopathy medicines, completing their “training” in less than three years.
“He realised there were no laws governing electro-homoeopathy and set up his own board to issue degrees,” police revealed. However, when patients showed scepticism towards electro-homoeopathy, the gang pivoted. They began claiming the certificates were authorised by the Ayush Ministry of Gujarat, falsely assuring buyers they could legally practise allopathy, homoeopathy and other therapies without issue.
Prospective “doctors” were promised quick certification—degrees were issued within 15 days of payment. The certificates, valid for one year, required renewal fees of Rs 5,000 to Rs 15,000. Those unable to pay were threatened and intimidated. Police further said that two accused, Shobhit and Irfan, played key roles in embezzling money from the racket.
Further investigations uncovered a fake website used to register the fraudulent degrees, adding to the operation’s complexity.
“This racket has put countless lives at risk by enabling unqualified individuals to practise medicine. Such acts of greed and recklessness will be dealt with severely,” a police official said.
Authorities are working to identify other beneficiaries of the racket and to tighten regulations to prevent such exploitation in the future.
Even, Govt Schemes Are Not Spared
The arrests serve as a warning about the dangers of unchecked scams in crucial sectors like healthcare.
Recently, hospitals registered and operating under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) are on the radar after two deaths at the Ahmedabad-based Khyati Multispeciality Hospital.
Some hospitals, including Khyati Hospital, were indulged in fraudulent activities, conducting “unwarranted” medical treatments and claiming money from the PM-JAY scheme.
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