A 13-year-old girl from Raichur district died after receiving treatment for fever by a man who posed as a registered medical practitioner even though he was not a qualified doctor, police and health officials said on Sunday.
According to police, the girl, a class IX student from Aminagad village in Maski taluk, developed fever on March 26. Her grandmother then took her to Uttam Kumar Sarkar, known locally as RMP, for treatment.
Assistant Inspector Guru Chandriya Yadav said the girl was staying with her grandmother Yellamma, as her parents had traveled to Bengaluru for daily wage work. “On Thursday night, the little girl suddenly fell seriously ill, after which her grandmother took her to a man named Uttam Kumar Sarkar for treatment in Sindhanur,” he said.
Police said the man administered the injection as part of treatment. “The accused treated the child and gave her an injection. Initially, she did not notice any complications. As night fell, rashes started appearing on her body and she started experiencing severe pain,” Yadav said.
Her condition worsened later that night. Her parents took her to Manvi Hospital where she was admitted in critical condition. Despite treatment, doctors declared her dead on Friday, police said.
The body was then taken to Cavital Government Hospital for a post-mortem examination before being handed over to the family.
The police registered a case at Kavithal police station under Section 304 (A) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act, which deals with causing death due to negligence. “A case has been registered… and the accused is absconding,” Yadav said.
The girl’s parents claimed that the treatment provided by Sarkar, including injections, led to her death.
Surendra Babu, Raichur district health officer, said the man was not authorized to practice medicine. He said: “He is not a doctor. There is no clinic or hospital. In the village, he is not a qualified doctor nor trained to treat any disease. He is an unqualified practitioner.”
He added that such cases are not isolated. “There are many such individuals and even some students pretending to be doctors in many villages. Many people are receiving treatment from these fake doctors,” Babu said.
