Sahaya Novinston Lobo By Express News Service CHENNAI: After months of effort on its own, a Puducherry family has found that a fake doctor was practising in a multi-speciality hospital in Chennai. The family even produced evidence on how he was practicing using the medical council registration number of a retired doctor with a similar name. But even eight months after registering an FIR, Mylapore police is yet to file a chargesheet in the case and hence allowing the accused almost go scot free. While police claim they are burdened by shortage of manpower, the family of K Jothi, 48, who died when being treated by the quack for ovarian cancer, has been making periodic trips to Chennai, only to be turned away by the police each time. The case dates back to May 2018 when Jothi died while under treatment at a hospital located at Mylapore. While the family was raising doubts over the ‘doctor’ Ranjith, who was working as a doctor in the hospital, only in December 2018 the police registered a case. “I have been travelling to Chennai at least 12 to 15 times every month since then to enquire about the progress in the case. But the police have made no progress. They even yell at me saying they are busy,” Bala Shankari, the daughter of Jothi, told Express. When Express visited the Mylapore police station and enquired about the case, almost every officer seemed to be well aware of the pending case. On the delay in filing the chargesheet, which should have been done within 60 days of registration of FIR, a police officer said, “We have plenty of cases everyday and there is a manpower shortage. Moreover, we file charge sheets soon only when there is a serious crime of murder or rape.” He said Ranjith was appearing in the station for two months since he got anticipatory bail. Later the bail condition was relaxed and he no longer appears before police. Meanwhile, when Express visited the hospital, the staff said that Ranjith had resigned and moved out of the city.

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