In a nationwide swoop, CBI today arrested six people possessing medical degrees from Russia and China and obtained recognition from Medical Council of India through allegedly fraudulent means.
CBI said an information pertaining to this scam was received and intelligence was developed before filing an FIR against eight people who claimed they had medical degrees from Russia and China.
CBI officially spoke about five arrests but sources one more person has been apprehended.
At least three of the doctors, who had allegedly got a forged registration from MCI, were working in government hospitals in Gujarat, West Begal and Chhattisgarh.
The CBI case was also against unnamed officials of MCI and private persons.
CBI conducted raids at the premises of a Meerut medical practitioner who was allegedly a conduit between MCI officials and the potential candidates coming from these countries.
According to CBI, the arrested people told its sleuths that they paid upto Rs 20 lakh for getting registration from MCI.
Government has made it mandatory for screening test of medical students from erstwhile USSR countries and China who wanted to practice in India.
CBI alleged these candidates had colluded with MCI officials who gave them permission to practice in return for illegal gratification even as the doctors did not fulfil the necessary parameters.
CBI Director Ranjit Sinha, who was personally monitoring thes case, told PTI "this is a very important case as such people were playing with the lives of patients."
"When the report came to us, we viewed it with utmost seriousness and today after finalising the FIR, we have carried out nationwide searches," he said.
