Cooch Behar, Feb. 12 -- A case of medical fraud has sparked outrage in the Madhukura area of Adabari Gram Panchayat, Sitai block, Cooch Behar district. Sitai police arrested five individuals on Tuesday evening in connection with the incident. According to police sources, the accused were produced in court on Wednesday.
Local sources reported that door-to-door advertisements promoted a medical camp where a doctor from Bangalore would diagnose patients and provide free medicine for a consultation fee of Rs 350. Intrigued by the prospect of treatment from an out-of-state doctor, villagers gathered at the camp. Some even recorded videos of the consultations.
However, suspicions arose when villagers noticed the lack of proper medical equipment. The 75-year-old doctor was conducting check-ups with only a rented chair and table in an abandoned shop. His manner of speaking further raised doubts, prompting locals to question his credentials. It was later revealed that the doctor, Narayan Chandra Banik, was actually a resident of Kolkata and a practitioner of Unani medicine, not from Bangalore as advertised.
Tensions escalated as villagers detained Banik and his associates, accusing them of fraud. Upon receiving the information, Sitai police arrived at the scene and arrested five individuals, including the doctor.
Local Panchayat member Swami Deepak Kumar Das stated: "The entire medical camp was a deception. People were misled by false claims."
However, Banik defended himself, asserting that he was not a fake doctor and had a private practice in Kolkata. "I can diagnose illnesses by observing people," he claimed.
Meanwhile, the organisers of the camp remain untraceable. Police have launched an investigation into the incident.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.