From Class 8 to hospital owner: Rajasthan Police expose alleged fake doctor registration

Rajasthan Police have arrested seven more people in an alleged medical registration fraud involving forged degrees and Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) certificates, with investigators identifying more than 100 suspected beneficiaries of the racket.

The Special Operations Group (SOG) arrested four foreign-trained medical graduates for allegedly using forged FMG screening certificates to secure internships and registration with the Rajasthan Medical Council (RMC). The arrests were announced on Oct 15.

The accused have been identified as Bharat Bhushan, 26, and Shivam Chaudhary, 28, from Deeg, and Saurav Sharma, 29, and Himanshu Sharma, 26, from Bharatpur.

With these arrests, the number of people held in the case has reached 33. Those arrested include 28 foreign-trained medical graduates, a former RMC registrar, two council employees and alleged middlemen, police said.

According to ADGP (SOG) Vishal Bansal, the four graduates obtained MBBS degrees from universities in Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Kazakhstan but failed to clear the mandatory FMG screening examination.

Investigators allege that the accused paid between ₹27 lakh and ₹30 lakh each to obtain forged certificates. Bharat Bhushan and Shivam Chaudhary allegedly paid ₹30 lakh apiece, while Saurav Sharma and Himanshu Sharma allegedly paid ₹27 lakh each.

The forged documents allegedly enabled the graduates to secure internships at government medical colleges in Dausa, Dholpur, Jaipur and Alwar. Police suspect that the wider network supplied fake certificates for amounts ranging from ₹20 lakh to ₹30 lakh.

Investigators have identified more than 100 suspected beneficiaries and are working to establish the identities of others involved in the alleged racket.

In separate arrests announced on Friday, the SOG apprehended two men accused of obtaining RMC registration using forged educational qualifications.

One allegedly failed the foreign medical qualification examination six times, while the other studied only up to Class 8 and later became the owner of a hospital in Jalore district.

The accused were identified as Pankaj Yadav, 30, a resident of Sikar district, and Nanji Ram Choudhary, owner of Bhaskar Hospital in Raniwara, Jalore.

Foreign medical graduate allegedly used forged qualifications

Police said Yadav studied MBBS in Kazakhstan between 2013 and 2018 but failed to clear the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) despite six attempts.

He allegedly submitted a forged MBBS degree and marksheets purportedly issued by Sri Krishna Medical College in Bihar, along with a Bihar Medical Council registration certificate, to obtain registration with the RMC.

Verification conducted with Aryabhatta Knowledge University in Patna and the medical college revealed that the documents were forged. Police said Yadav had never been enrolled at the institution.

He was arrested in Kaithal, Haryana, where he had allegedly been hiding to evade arrest.

Hospital owner allegedly used fake medical degrees

In a separate case, Choudhary allegedly obtained medical registration using forged qualifications, including an MBBS degree purportedly issued by Rama University in Kanpur and a Diploma in Gynaecology and Obstetrics (DGO) from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Mumbai.

Police said verification found that his diploma certificate, allotment letter and other related documents were forged.

Investigators found that Choudhary had studied only up to Class 8. Before becoming a hospital owner, he had worked at hospital outpatient registration counters and at a readymade garment shop.

According to police, he purchased a hospital in Raniwara in 2015 and renamed it Bhaskar Hospital in 2016.

During visits to the RMC office for registration-related work, Choudhary allegedly established contacts with some officials and employees. He subsequently obtained registration as a medical practitioner using forged documents, investigators said.

Case registered in 2024; registrations cancelled

The case was initially registered at Jaipur's Ashok Nagar police station on October 6, 2024, after a complaint by then RMC registrar Dr. Giridhar Gopal. The investigation was later transferred to the SOG.

Police said medical registrations secured using forged documents had been cancelled. Both Yadav and Choudhary have been remanded to police custody.

The SOG is investigating the possible involvement of former RMC officials and employees, along with people suspected of preparing or supplying forged documents. Investigators are also examining the roles of other suspects named in the case.

The investigation into the wider alleged racket remains underway.