Amidst the ongoing controversy over alleged irregularities in NEET admissions for MBBS courses, a startling case of medical education fraud has surfaced from Mehsana, North Gujarat. A homeopath, Suresh Patel, paid Rs 16.32 lakh for admission to an MBBS course at a university in Uttar Pradesh and received his degree and certificates within a month, without attending any classes or taking exams.
Patel, realizing the degree was forged, approached the police in 2019. However, an FIR was registered only on June 14, nearly five years later.
In July 2018, Patel, 41, was researching higher education in medicine online when he discovered a website offering MBBS degrees through the All-India Alternative Medical Council. He contacted Dr. Prem Kumar Rajput, who assured him that he could get an MBBS degree based on his class 12 marks. Despite initial skepticism, Patel was convinced by Rajput’s assurances of legality.
Rajput informed Patel that he would need to undergo internships, take exams, and would receive the degree in five years. Patel decided to proceed and paid Rs 50,000, after which he received an admission letter from Bundelkhand University in Jhansi. Over time, Patel paid a total of Rs 16.32 lakh between July 2018 and February 2019, expecting his classes to commence soon.
However, classes never began. In March 2019, Patel received a courier containing MBBS marksheets, a degree certificate, internship training certificates, and a registration certificate, all purportedly from the Medical Council of India (MCI). Suspecting fraud, Patel contacted the MCI and confirmed his fears.
Patel filed a complaint with the police, which was subsequently transferred to the Ahmedabad crime branch in 2019. He accompanied a Mehsana police team to Delhi to locate Dr. Anand Kumar, one of the purported facilitators, but found no one at the given address. The investigation uncovered that many others had also been cheated by the same group.
Despite gathering substantial evidence, the probe stalled, and the accused remained untraceable. In December 2023, Patel gathered more evidence and filed a complaint with the Mehsana SP’s office, hoping for renewed action against the fraudsters.
