Maharashtra Cyber has arrested two more people in an inter-state case involving forged Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) certificates, according to reports published on 9 November by the Free Press Journal and the Bhasha news agency. The latest arrests take the total number of accused held in the case to five.

The FMGE is the screening test that Indian citizens with medical degrees from abroad must clear before they can be registered to practise in India. It is conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS).

Who has been arrested

Police identified the two new accused as Shivam Rakesh Singh, 31, of Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh, and Dharmendra Laxman Singh, 29, of Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. Investigators describe Shivam Singh, who reportedly holds an MBA and runs a hospital in Bulandshahr, as the alleged main technical operator of the network. He is accused of generating fake certificates for more than 20 people.

The three people arrested earlier were two alleged beneficiaries, who are accused of obtaining medical registration without passing the screening test, and an alleged intermediary who is said to have helped procure forged documents.

How the case surfaced

The case came to light when the Maharashtra Medical Council noticed discrepancies in certificates submitted for registration. The Nodal Cyber Police Station in Mumbai registered an FIR under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita dealing with cheating and forgery, and under provisions of the Information Technology Act.

Investigators allege that the accused gained unauthorised access to the online examination and certification portal and used it to produce the certificates. Police said digital and financial evidence is still being examined, and that they are trying to establish the full scale of the fraud and whether others helped obtain portal access. All those arrested are accused; none has been convicted.

Why it matters

The case shows that forgers are not limited to printing fake paper documents. Where a racket allegedly reaches into an issuing system, a certificate can look genuine at first glance. Medical councils and hospitals can reduce the risk by confirming screening-test results directly with the examining body rather than relying on a copy supplied by the candidate, and by re-checking registrations granted during any period in which a breach is suspected. Patients can check a doctor's registration status on the relevant state or national medical register.

Sources

This News Desk report summarises information published by the sources above, written in our own words. Persons named in criminal matters are accused, not convicted, unless a court has ruled otherwise. To report an error, use our contact page.

FMGEMedical registrationMaharashtraForged certificatesCyber crime

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