The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) has rounded up at least 15 doctors from  various parts of the country on suspicion of possessing fake certificates.

A CIB team, in coordination with the district police offices, arrested nine doctors from Birgunj, three doctors from Biratnagar and two from Chitwan.

Sources at the CIB confirmed the arrests, but the law enforcement agency refused to give details. However, it is believed that the arrests are part of police’s “operation quack” under which the CIB had earlier in February and March arrested 17 doctors for possessing fake academic certificates.

While the CIB is yet to make public the exact charges against these  doctors, sources said a majority of them were arrested for possessing fake SLC and higher secondary level certificates.   

The CIB move of arresting doctors, however, has not gone down well with the Nepal Medical Association (NMA), the umbrella organisation of medical and dental doctors in Nepal.

Dr Anjani Kumar Jha, president of NMA, said the CIB “is arresting doctors as if they are terrorists”. “This is not acceptable,” said Dr Jha. “If they have committed mistakes, the CIB has every right to take action. But not in this way,” added Dr Jha.

Those arrested on Friday are being brought to Kathmandu.

All the doctors except one who were arrested earlier have been released on bail by Kathmandu District Court.

The licensing certificate that authorises these doctors to practise medicine has already been scrapped by the Nepal Medical Council.

(With inputs from Shanker Acharya in Parsa, Shiva Puri in Bharatpur and Dilli Ram Khatiwada in Biratnagar)