Rs 5k per drop: Dr Zeriwala's 'blood-sucking' fraud and a dhaba meeting in Murthal

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Authorities have cracked open a fraud ring targeting desperate patients seeking a cure for paralysis, following the arrest of a man who operated under the alias "Dr R Zeriwala", according to a TOI report. The gang, skilled in exploiting hope and medical vulnerability, promised miraculous recovery through a bizarre “poisonous blood” extraction and left at least one Gurugram couple out of pocket by Rs 25 lakh.

The elaborate con began at a dhaba in Murthal, Haryana, where 67-year-old Mahesh Chadha and his wife Madhu, both grappling with the aftermath of Mahesh’s stroke, encountered a man calling himself Nitin Aggarwal. The man, later identified as Mohammad Kasim, impressed upon the couple that his own father had overcome paralysis thanks to Dr Zeriwala and furnished his contact details, including a Delhi address.

Within days, the gang worked systematically to win the couple’s trust. Kasim orchestrated phone interactions with people pretending to be his parents, while Dr Zeriwala’s so-called assistant, Sameer, initially made himself scarce, claiming the doctor was travelling between Dubai and Canada.

A few days later, the Chadhas were granted an appointment. The scam's theatrics continued at the couple’s home, beginning with what was described as "heated towel therapy" administered by Sameer. Shortly after, Dr Zeriwala himself made a grand entrance.

The so-called treatment involved making small cuts on Mahesh’s paralysed limbs and extracting blood via a pipe. Dr Zeriwala would spit the blood onto a chemical-laced surface, which turned yellow, a trick he used to claim it proved the blood was “poisonous”. For each drop, he demanded Rs 5,000, reportedly telling the victims that he had risked his life since “toxins” had entered his mouth, necessitating special medication, as cited by TOI.

By the end, the bill tallied a staggering Rs 25 lakh. The Chadhas initially paid Rs 1 lakh in cash, promising to clear the rest later. Zeriwala then pressured the couple by phone to immediately send an additional Rs 19 lakh, claiming it was necessary for further medicines. Once the money was transferred, his team vanished.

Suspecting foul play, Madhu Chadha swiftly approached police. Authorities noted the investigation was a painstaking one, as the accused had covered their tracks by using SIM cards obtained through forged documents and intermediary sellers.

According to TOI, it took several months for police to trace a handset linked to the scam, eventually tracking activities to Sanod village, Rajasthan. The phone, initially found with a labourer’s wife, was traced back through multiple leads to a shop illegally trafficking in SIM cards.

It took sustained efforts to apprehend Kasim from Sangod village. Upon arrest, he confessed to pocketing Rs 2.5 lakh as his share of the loot. Another member, Amir, brother to Sameer, was nabbed for receiving Rs 1.5 lakh. Police eventually identified the fake doctor as Mohammad Jahir.

While Mohammad Jahir (Dr Zeriwala) and Sameer managed to obtain anticipatory bail and submitted Rs 20 lakh to secure their release, the money was eventually returned to the victims. Police, however, reported that both soon became non-cooperative, prompting their formal arrest. Authorities have also approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking cancellation of their bail.

TOI reported Himanshu Chadha crediting the success of the recovery to “the sincere efforts of DCP (south) Hitesh Yadav and sub-inspector Gaurav” who, he said, “helped unearth a major nexus. They traced the gang and recovered the entire amount”.

Investigations by the police, as cited by TOI, show the perpetrators, believed to be members of the Singhi gang, had orchestrated similar medical cons in Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Noida. Authorities are now working to uncover the full extent of the group’s network, which is believed to have roots in Sangod village and links spreading across multiple states.