In a major breakthrough in the ongoing crackdown on fake doctors across the Barak Valley, the Cachar police on Wednesday arrested the alleged mastermind of the racket, Jayanta Prashad Das, popularly known as Dr. JP Das.
Das, who allegedly posed as a medical practitioner, was running a so-called medical institute in Silchar. He was apprehended by a police team led by Cachar Superintendent of Police Numal Mahatta. With his arrest, the number of people held in connection with the district-wide investigation into fake doctors and bogus medical certificates has risen to 14.
According to the police, Das operated a fraudulent institution named the National Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Silchar, which falsely claimed to offer certifications in alternative medicine. These certificates were allegedly used by unqualified individuals to masquerade as doctors in Assam and other states.
“Dr. JP Das’s name repeatedly surfaced during our recent operations. He was running an unrecognised institute and we suspect that his own medical degree is also fake,” SP Mahatta said.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Das did not study at any recognised medical institution in India. Police sources said he reportedly pursued some form of education in Bangladesh, though its authenticity remains under scrutiny.
Das also owned private establishments — Mawsumi Hospital and Geno Spa & Therapy Centre — located on Trunk Road in Silchar. Police believe he had been operating the racket for several years by issuing fraudulent documents.
When confronted by reporters, Das claimed he was being unfairly linked to the Pulak Malakar case, the first fake doctor arrested in Cachar, who had been practising as a gynaecologist at a women’s welfare home.
Following his arrest, a Silchar court remanded Das to four days of police custody after granting the police plea for further interrogation. Authorities said efforts are ongoing to identify others who benefited from the fake certificates issued by the institute.
