Reality check: Sex health quacks vanish from main roads, reappear in Bengaluru’s backstreets

Bengaluru: For years, they were a common sight: brightly coloured roadside tents promising ‘guaranteed cures’ for sexual health and mental stress, strategically pitched near bus stands and busy junctions. Often targeting individuals with stigma surrounding sexual health and fear of judgment from society, these tents have vanished from the city’s main arteries, only to resurface in the shadows of interior neighbourhoods and highway stretches.

The sudden exodus follows a high-profile fraud case that sent shockwaves through the city. A software engineer, desperate to resolve sexual health concerns post-marriage, was allegedly swindled of Rs 48 lakh by a quack operating out of a makeshift tent near Kengeri. The victim was not just drained of his life savings and forced into debt, but also left with severe kidney damage, proving that so-called “herbal” concoctions sold at these unregulated centres are toxic.

Police crackdown

The Bengaluru Police Department has since launched a massive drive to clear the city of these illegal setups. Speaking to DH, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said the crackdown is being treated with urgency. “Following the recent case, every police station was ordered to clear quack centres within their jurisdiction. We verified their certificates, and not a single one was found to be legal,” Singh told DH. He added that the department has written to health authorities to establish a formal verification process for traditional medicine certifications. “To ensure these incidents do not repeat, we are making the beat systems stricter,” the Commissioner noted.

Missing link in healthcare?

Two in 10 people have sexual health disorders when they are sexually active. Misconceptions, erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation in men, pain during sex, vaginismus in women, and mismatch of expectations in couples are some of the common problems for which people seek medical intervention, experts say.

Why do people, including high-earning professionals like techies, continue to fall prey to these traps? Medical experts point to a systemic failure in addressing sexual health within the formal healthcare sector. Dr Sandip Deshpande, Consultant Psychiatrist and Sexologist, argues that the National Medical Commission (NMC) does not recognise sexual medicine as a specialised field. “Doctors aren’t trained to confidently address sexual health, and patients often don’t know where to go. This vacuum is what quacks exploit,” Dr Deshpande said. He noted that while modern medical practitioners face strict advertising regulations, non-modern medicine quacks often fly under the radar with bold, unsubstantiated claims.

The physical toll of these “cures” is often permanent. Specialists at city hospitals are seeing an uptick in complications arising from unregulated treatments.

Dr Kishan A, Consultant Nephrologist, warned that many “herbal” remedies contain hidden steroids, painkillers, or heavy metals that cause renal damage. “Most patients only come to us when they show symptoms like swelling or low urine output. By then, the damage to the kidneys is often irreversible,” he said.

Resorting to these quick-fix solutions can also disrupt menstrual cycles. Dr N Sapna Lulla, Lead Consultant (Obstetrics & Gynaecology), highlighted that women are equally at risk. “Faulty drugs or hormones given without proper tests can disrupt menstrual cycles and cause severe pelvic infections or heavy bleeding,” she warned.

Will look for stronger measures: Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao The state government is now contemplating more than just temporary evictions. Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao acknowledged that the current legal framework allows quacks to relocate and restart easily.

“They call themselves traditional healers but it is entirely illegal. If we book a case they often come out and start somewhere else. We are discussing stronger more practical measures to curb this permanently” Rao told DH.

Mystery clinic in Kengeri A reality check by DH across localities such as Banaswadi RT Nagar Rajarajeshwari Nagar and Okalipuram confirmed that many long-standing tents have been dismantled in the last three weeks.

Manjunath a condiments shop owner in Avalahalli said “They used to sell medicines from the boot of an Omni car right here. They haven’t been seen for nearly a month now.” However the trade hasn’t disappeared; it has simply evolved.

On the busy entrance to Dr Vishnuvardhan Road a mysterious tent labelled ‘Shivashakthi Ayurvedic Camp’ has recently appeared. Ironically situated just metres away from a reputed multispeciality hospital and a medical college the tent operates in a shroud of secrecy.

Inside a middle-aged man sits surrounded by jars of unidentified powders and cloudy liquids. When DH approached the setup the man’s behaviour was noticeably guarded. He refused digital payments insisting on cash. After a cursory pulse check he diagnosed the “problem” as “weak nerve signals” prescribing a three-month course for Rs 2500. He refused to disclose the ingredients of the medicine until the payment was made.

As the sun sets the tent sees a quiet but steady stream of young men highlighting the persistent demand that keeps such quackery alive.