Cachar Police nab mastermind behind fake medical degree racket

Silchar, Oct 23: In a major breakthrough against one of Assam’s longest-running medical frauds, the Cachar Police have arrested Jayanta Prasad Das, the alleged mastermind behind a sprawling fake medical degree racket that has been operating for nearly two decades under the guise of alternative medicine.

Confirming the arrest, Cachar Superintendent of Police (SSP) Numal Mahatta told the media on Thursday that Das’s detention marks the 14th arrest in the district’s ongoing crackdown on quacks and fraudulent medical institutions.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Das had been posing as a medical professional while running an unrecognised institute named the National Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS). The so-called institute, police said, issued fake medical degrees, including forged M.D. (Alternative Medicine) certificates, to unqualified individuals who later used them to practise medicine illegally across the region.

“Das has never studied in any recognised Indian medical institution. His claimed medical degrees were obtained from unverified Bangladeshi institutes. These fake credentials were later sold to unsuspecting individuals, enabling them to pose as doctors and treat patients unlawfully,” SSP Mahatta stated.

The arrest was made in connection with Silchar P.S. Case No. 786/25, registered under sections 125/271/318(4)/319(2)/336(4)/340(2)/112(2)/110 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The investigation first led to the arrest of fake doctor Pulok Malakar, who was found to have obtained his fraudulent degree from NIMS.

According to police sources, Das operated a well-structured criminal network that produced and distributed counterfeit medical credentials. None of the certificates issued by NIMS had any legal recognition or affiliation with the National Medical Council (NMC) or other statutory authorities.

“Pulok Malakar was just a small part of the chain — Das is the true mastermind,” an official close to the investigation said, adding that the accused had misused the image of medical authority for personal profit while endangering countless lives.

Police said Das’s fraudulent operation had severely undermined public trust in the healthcare system, as untrained individuals were allowed to handle critical medical situations.

“This operation not only compromised patient safety but posed a grave threat to public health at large,” SSP Mahatta added.

Das has been produced before court and remanded to police custody for further interrogation. Investigators believe the network extends beyond Cachar district, and more arrests are likely as authorities trace the beneficiaries, recruiters, and collaborators linked to NIMS’s operations.

Cachar Police said the latest arrest marks a significant step in dismantling Assam’s most enduring quack network, which for years exploited public trust and the desperation of job-seekers under the false banner of “alternative medicine.”