Silchar, September 9: Assam's healthcare sector has been rocked by a series of fake doctor scams.
Over the past few weeks, police have arrested several impostors, including quack dentists and individuals posing as specialists with forged medical credentials, in Cachar and Kokrajhar districts.
The latest crackdown began in Silchar, where police arrested two individuals allegedly practicing dentistry without valid qualifications.
The arrests came after Dr. Pradeep Kumar Das of the Indian Dental Association, Assam State Branch, lodged a complaint on September 2 about the rampant rise of unqualified dental practitioners in the region.
Acting swiftly, Cachar police raided two clinics, Hazari Dental Clinic and Mazumdar Dental Clinic, located in Tarapur India Club and Masjid Complex areas, on Sunday.
During the operation, police apprehended Kamrul Islam Hazari (50) of Madhurband and Tinku Mazumdar (53) of Malugram, both found attending patients without valid medical credentials.
Cachar SSP Numal Mahatta said, "Based on a complaint, we launched a special operation and caught the two red-handed. One of them had been running a clinic for nearly 10 years. Strict action will be taken against them."
Police also seized a doctor's pad carrying Hazari's name and falsified educational details.
With these arrests, the number of impostors caught by the Cachar police has risen to four in recent weeks.
Earlier, on September 2, 23-year-old Mir Hussain Ahmed Barbhuiya from Katigorah was apprehended for impersonating a gynaecologist at Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH). Barbhuiya, who had been masquerading as a doctor since August 29, 2025, aroused suspicion among the staff in the Department of Gynaecology.
SMCH principal Dr. Bhaskar Gupta said, "On strong suspicion, we informed the police, following which he was apprehended." Police later revealed that Barbhuiya had purchased a stethoscope online and was attending to patients in the OPD.
Adding to the string of arrests, Cachar police had earlier nabbed 43-year-old Pulak Malakar of Badarpur for posing as a gynaecologist and obstetrician with a forged MBBS certificate and falsified documents.
Malakar was arrested following credible intelligence on September 1, and verification confirmed his documents were fake. Police stated that the arrest has exposed a broader network of fraudulent practices in the medical sector.
Cachar SSP Mahatta had confirmed that investigations are being widened to trace possible associates and networks connected to the accused. He cautioned the public to remain vigilant and verify medical practitioners' credentials before seeking treatment.
In another case, police in Kokrajhar arrested Anisur Rahman, who had secured employment with the National Mobile Medical Unit (NMMU) under the National Health Mission using a forged MBBS degree.
Originally a homoeopathy graduate from Jorhat, Rahman allegedly altered his certificate to present himself as an MBBS doctor.
The fraud was exposed following a complaint on September 6, after which Rahman was arrested from Balajan Hospital's NMMU unit. He later admitted to fabricating his documents to obtain the government job.
A case has been registered at Kokrajhar police station (No. 216/25), and further investigations are underway to determine if more people are involved.
The series of arrests has heightened concerns about the proliferation of fake doctors in Assam, particularly in the Barak Valley.
Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, earlier during a visit to Silchar, had expressed alarm over the "Munna Bhai MBBS" phenomenon and urged citizens to promptly report any suspected impersonators in healthcare institutions.