'Delhi surgery scam': Pharmacist who referred patients to clinic arrested

New Delhi: The Delhi Police has arrested a 42-year-old pharmacist for his alleged involvement in death of a patient during surgery in a clinic in south Delhi’s Greater Kailash, officials said on Sunday.

The pharmacist used to refer patients to the clinic where two patients recently died during surgery. The police have arrested four persons, including a quack, in the case.

Neeraj Agarwal, who runs the Agarwal Medical Centre, Jaspreet Singh (both MBBS doctors), Agarwal’s wife Pooja and former laboratory technician Mahender Singh were arrested on November 14 and produced in a court on November 16, which sent them to five-day police custody.

The latest development in the case came on Sunday with the arrest of Julfiqar who runs a pharmacy shop in the Sangam Vihar area, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Chandan Choudhary said.

Julfiqar sells homeopathy and allopathy medicines and has done a course in D.Pharma. He used to refer patients who came to his shop with ailments such as kidney stones, gynecological issues or other diseases to Agarwal’s clinic, the DCP said. Agarwal used to pay Julfiqar almost 35 per cent of the total bill amount per patient, he added.

Asgar Ali, the last patient Julfiqar sent to Agarwal’s clinic died during surgery at Agarwal Medical Centre, the DCP said.

Julfiqar was in touch with Agarwal for the last five to six years. He had referred around 40 to 50 patients to Agarwal for delivery, abortion, and treatment of diseases, he added.

Julfiqar, a resident of Lal Kuan in the Prahladpur area here, was nabbed from his pharmacy shop. He was arrested after interrogation on Sunday, the police said.

The Delhi government’s Directorate General of Health Services has issued a showcause notice to the proprietor of Agarwal Medical Centre for allegedly violating the Delhi Nursing Homes Registration Act, according to an official order dated November 16.