Maharashtra Cyber has busted an inter-state network in which a medical representative, acting as a link between pharmaceutical companies and doctors, hacked into the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) exam and changed records of certain applicants to enable them to practise as doctors. Investigators also suspect that exam websites of other states may have been targeted similarly.

The applicants, whose details were changed, were students who obtained MBBS degrees abroad but had not cleared the qualifying exams – the screening test conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) – required to practise as doctors in India.

Investigators suspect the applicants paid lakhs to the accused to manipulate the MMC records into showing that they had passed the examination.

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How was the MMC fraud detected?

The MMC approached the Maharashtra Cyber police station after detecting unauthorised access to their systems and database.

During the investigation, Maharashtra Cyber found that certain foreign medical graduates who had not qualified the mandatory FMGE Screening Test also had medical registration certificates, as the MMC site showed they had cleared it.

The agency then identified three accused allegedly involved in the fraudulent activity.

The two accused have been identified as Varun Akhade (28) and Sanket Unhale (26), who studied in the Philippines after allegedly failing to qualify in the required local examination, Maharashtra Cyber SP Ajay Kumar Bansal said.

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Further investigation led Maharashtra Cyber to apprehend another person, identified as Rahul Patil, suspected to be a key operative of the inter-state gang involved in the generation and procurement of the forged documents.

He charged anywhere between Rs 15-25 lakhs per applicant.

An official said, “We are checking if the records of any more accused have been manipulated in the MMC database. We are also checking if the accused had manipulated the database of other state medical council exams, as we have found some data of persons from other states who had paid him money. More arrests are likely in the case.”