Bengaluru: Paediatrician, govt medical officer held in fake disability certificates case

Bengaluru: The Malleswaram police have arrested two more persons in connection with fake disability certificates issued to secure medical seats under the specially abled quota.

Dr Hariprasad, a medical officer at the government hospital in Hosapete, and Dr Srinivas, a paediatrician, were arrested on Thursday. With this, five people have been arrested in the case, including a government doctor and a teacher.

The action follows a complaint filed by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) after discrepancies were detected during certificate verification.

The police had earlier arrested three suspects — Bharamppa, a teacher from Nandini Layout; Umesh Chaudhury, a first-grade assistant from Hosapete; and Sudhakar, an assistant at a primary healthcare centre in Mangaluru — on September 17.

The police said that 21 candidates applying for medical seats through UG CET and UG NEET this year had submitted forged certificates claiming to be hearing impaired. KEA officials grew suspicious during scrutiny and reported the matter.

Investigators suspect the accused were part of a fraud network operating for years. Further investigation is underway.