MUMBAI: An elderly housewife was scammed out of Rs 60,000 by a ‘naturopathic doctor’ and his assistant who offered him a cure for severe knee pain. Santacruz police station has registered an FIR against these two and two others who introduced the complainant.
The complainant is 70 years old and lives in Vile Parle with his daughter, who is an artist. She had been suffering from pain in her knee for three years, and although she had been treated at two hospitals, her symptoms did not improve.
In November 2023, she was walking to the dentist’s office when a stranger stopped her and asked if she had knee pain. He introduced himself as Vijay Mehta and said he guessed from the way she walked that she was having pain in her knee. His mother Kusum Mehta suffered similarly until she sought treatment from a naturopathic doctor, she added.
The complainant spoke to Kusum using her phone number and said that Dr Merchant, a naturopathic doctor, had charged her Rs 4,000. Vijay gave the complainant the address of Dr. Merchant’s clinic in Thane.
In November, Dr. Merchant visited her residence after speaking by phone. He was accompanied by his assistant Yunus. Dr. Merchant made a small cut on her knee with a knife and used an instrument to extract yellow fluid from the cut. He told the plaintiff that the liquid was “pitta”. The same procedure was repeated over and over again on both of her knees. A naturopathic doctor eventually applied turmeric to her knee and gave her medication to take. He demanded Rs 72,000 from her as her fee. Since her complainant did not have that much money, she made her pay her Rs 60,000 with a discount.
A few days later, my daughter’s friend informed me that a patient in eastern Borivli had been imprisoned in the same manner. Complainant was taking Dr. Merchant’s medication, but the pain in his knee did not subside. Thereafter, the complainant went to Thane to look for Dr. Merchant’s clinic and meet him, but found that his clinic did not exist. She then filed a police report.
The complainant is 70 years old and lives in Vile Parle with his daughter, who is an artist. She had been suffering from pain in her knee for three years, and although she had been treated at two hospitals, her symptoms did not improve.
In November 2023, she was walking to the dentist’s office when a stranger stopped her and asked if she had knee pain. He introduced himself as Vijay Mehta and said he guessed from the way she walked that she was having pain in her knee. His mother Kusum Mehta suffered similarly until she sought treatment from a naturopathic doctor, she added.
The complainant spoke to Kusum using her phone number and said that Dr Merchant, a naturopathic doctor, had charged her Rs 4,000. Vijay gave the complainant the address of Dr. Merchant’s clinic in Thane.
In November, Dr. Merchant visited her residence after speaking by phone. He was accompanied by his assistant Yunus. Dr. Merchant made a small cut on her knee with a knife and used an instrument to extract yellow fluid from the cut. He told the plaintiff that the liquid was “pitta”. The same procedure was repeated over and over again on both of her knees. A naturopathic doctor eventually applied turmeric to her knee and gave her medication to take. He demanded Rs 72,000 from her as her fee. Since her complainant did not have that much money, she made her pay her Rs 60,000 with a discount.
A few days later, my daughter’s friend informed me that a patient in eastern Borivli had been imprisoned in the same manner. Complainant was taking Dr. Merchant’s medication, but the pain in his knee did not subside. Thereafter, the complainant went to Thane to look for Dr. Merchant’s clinic and meet him, but found that his clinic did not exist. She then filed a police report.
