In a major crackdown, Surat police have busted a fraudulent operation selling fake Bachelor of Electro-Homeopathy Medicine and Surgery (BEMS) degrees, leading to the arrest of 13 individuals, including 10 quacks who were illegally running clinics and prescribing allopathic medicines. The accused have been booked under the Gujarat Medical Practitioners Act (GMPA).Key Facts of the Racket:Modus Operandi:

• Fake Degree Sellers: The masterminds, Rasesh Gujarathi (Surat) and Dr. BK Rawat (Ahmedabad), along with their associate Irfan Saiyed, sold fake medical degrees for ₹70,000 to ₹75,000 under the garb of the "Board of Electro-Homeopathic Medicine, Ahmedabad."

• The racket involved issuing more than 1,500 fake degrees; many recipients were even Class 10 pass.

Raids and Arrests:

• Police conducted surprise inspections in the Bamroli area of Surat, uncovering clinics operated by quacks prescribing allopathic medicines.

• The clinics were run by Dr. Shashikant Mohato, Siddharth Debnath, and Parth Debnath, who disclosed purchasing fake degrees from Gujarathi.

• At Gujarathi’s residence, authorities seized printed and blank degree certificates, application forms, and identity cards. Similar raids at Dr. BK Rawat’s premises in Ahmedabad recovered over 160 applications and 40 fake certificates.

Extortion Scheme:

• The racket ran a two-pronged extortion model:

• Charging degree holders ₹1,500 for registration and ₹5,000 monthly fees from well-performing clinics.

• Threatening non-compliant fake doctors with raids.

Scale of the Operation:
The racket has been running since 2002, and Gujarathi and his associates have made huge money. Gujarathi took 70% of the money, and 30% went to Dr. BK Rawat.Ongoing Investigation:

• Seven more fake doctors, including Rakesh Patel, Amin Khan, and others, were arrested.

• The police are relentlessly targeting other fake degree-holding practitioners in low-income settlements.

Impact on Public Health:
This scam exposed the serious danger caused by unqualified practitioners who pose as qualified ones and jeopardize patient safety. The prevalence of fraudulent degrees sold makes clear the necessity for stricter regulation coupled with vigilant enforcement to put off such illegal practices.