Cachar Police Arrest 15th Fake Doctor In Crackdown On Quack Practitioners

The Cachar Police have arrested another fake doctor, the 15th since the district-wide crackdown began in August this year. The latest arrest took place on Monday night (October 27), when a man identified as Rajul Hoque Laskar was caught red-handed posing as an MBBS doctor at his own pharmacy, Boby Health Care, located in Nagdirgram Part IV under the Sonai Police Station area.

According to police sources, Laskar had been practising for years using certificates from dubious institutions. Documents accessed by Barak Bulletin reveal that he held a registration from the Council of Alternative Systems of Medicines, West Bengal, dated 2007, which allowed him to practise “Indo Allopathy.” Another certificate from the North East Council of Alternative Medicines, issued in 2017, declared him a “Bachelor of Medicines & Bachelor of System of Alternative Medicines [MBBS (AM)].” He also held a drug licence since 2008, allowing him to sell some medicines without the supervision of a qualified person — a loophole he allegedly exploited to run his fake practice.

“Based on specific intel, a team was sent to Nagdirgram, where the accused was caught red-handed attending patients,” said Additional SP (Headquarters) Subrata Sen. “We seized his prescription pads and related documents. A case has been registered at Sonai Police Station (Case No. 71/25), and he has been produced before the court.”

Sen added that the police suspect a larger racket is operating in the district. “We have proof from earlier cases that a network with malicious intent is behind these fake certifications. The investigation is ongoing, and we are hopeful of rooting out the racket completely,” he said.

The Council of Alternative Systems of Medicines is based in Canal Street, Kolkata, and the North East Council of Alternative Medicines has its centre at Ismail Market, Central Road, Silchar, as per the identity card possessed by Rajul Hoque.

This arrest follows a series of similar crackdowns since August, beginning with Pulak Malaka, who was caught practising at Siva Sundari Narisikshashram, Silchar, as a gynaecologist and performing complicated surgeries. The 14th accused, JP Das, alleged to be one of the masterminds, was arrested on October 22 for running the so-called National Institute of Medical Science, which reportedly issued fake medical certificates.

Despite the ongoing crackdown, Laskar, who had been practising since 2007, as per certificates, continued his fake practice, prescribing allopathic medicines under the guise of “alternative medicine.”

The so-called Council of Alternative Systems of Medicine claims to offer multi-level courses, including undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programmes in fields such as mind-body therapy, energy therapy, massage therapy, and Unani systems. However, police sources allege that many holders of these certificates misuse them to pose as qualified doctors, endangering lives across Barak Valley.