Pune: Phursungi police on Sunday arrested a Rajasthan-based man for allegedly practising naturopathy illegally in Bhekarainagar.
Police arrested the suspect, Shahzad Iqbal Mohammed Khan (42), from Kota. He then claimed that her blood was impure and charged her Rs12,000 for the treatment.
“He was using a fake name Raj Patel to run his clinic for the past month,” said sub-inspector Shambhuraj Jadhav of Phursungi police station. Khan allegedly inserted a needle into her knee and drew blood thrice on the pretext of treating her knee pain, according to police. “Dr Pakhare and police asked Khan to produce his certificates when he told them that he was practising Tumbadi treatment. There were several medicines and medical equipment in his clinic, and his visiting card had a different name, while his Aadhaar card had another name,” Jadhav said.
Dr Rajesh Pakhare, medical officer at Phursungi primary health centre, lodged a complaint with police after Khan was found treating a woman for knee pain. A team from the crime branch reached the spot. However, he failed to provide his medical degrees or licence to practise.
She then contacted the Pune city crime branch who then called Dr Pakhare as part of the investigation,” he said. “The woman became suspicious after transferring money to him using a QR code. His name was Patel, but the QR code showed a different name.