Berhampur: Posing themselves as patients, policemen on Tuesday arrested 7 ‘dalals’ (brokers) from the campus of MKC Medical College and Hospital in Odisha’s Berhampur city.
According to sources, Berhampur Police had received several complaints alleging that that some persons on the plea of helping the innocent people coming from remote areas of Ganjam district and outside were cheating in the MKCH Hospital campus.
They were working as middlemen for private clinics and medical stores in the city and were getting commission for bringing patients or purchase of medicines. The frauds used to convince the patients and their relatives coming to the MKCG hospital and take them to be admitted in private clinics.
They also get the patients’ different tests like ultrasound, radiology, X-Ray done in private labs at a high price instead of the hospital. Besides, they were involved in getting the patients purchase medicines from private medicine stores instead of free of cost from the hospital, the complainants alleged.
In order to nab these frauds red-handed, a team of 15 police personnel led by SDPO Rajiv Lochan Panda was formed on the instruction of Berhampur SP Sarvana Vivek M.
On Tuesday, the team went to the hospital in plain clothes and posed themselves as patients and their relatives. As expected, when they arrived at the hospital, the dalals approached them and offered their help. The police team nabbed 7 frauds on the spot.
They have been detained in Baidyanathpur police station and the police were questioning them for more details, the sources said.
