Chandigarh: Seven aspiring doctors have been caught using forged documents to gain medical registration, prompting a sweeping investigation by the Haryana Medical Council that could unearth hundreds more frauds and wannabe Munnabhais.
These seven individuals presented fake degrees and forged no-objection certificates (NoCs) from other states. So far, the council has canceled five registrations, initiated criminal proceedings, and is reviewing hundreds of others to prevent similar frauds. Council chairman R K Aneja confirmed that the fraudulent NoCs had come from the medical councils of Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, while two degrees were forged from Haryana’s Maharishi Markandeshwar University (MMU).
Aneja didn’t rule out the involvement of an organised gang in the racket and said the council had involved police to pursue further investigations. Of the seven individuals caught so far, one is from Haryana, while the rest are from Uttar Pradesh mostly. The fraud came to light when a complaint prompted the council to scrutinise registrations based on NoCs. A broader investigation followed, revealing discrepancies, including instances where individuals who had earned degrees in Haryana supposedly were registered in other states.
Verification with the medical councils and colleges confirmed the fraud. In one case, a fake postgraduate degree in radiodiagnosis was flagged, while another involved a forged MBBS degree. Both cases have led colleges and the council to initiate criminal proceedings.
Haryana’s council has since decided to re-examine all NoC-based registrations and scrutinise degrees of medicos who studied in Haryana but registered elsewhere. Haryana’s minister for medical education and research, Aarti Singh Rao, authorised the inquiry to support the council’s efforts. Each year, 300 to 500 doctors migrate their registrations to Haryana using NoCs.