Fake doctor arrested after 6-month-old dies from overdose

Ramanagara

Police in Ramanagara have arrested a quack, identified as Mohammed Saifulla, from Al Khair Foundation Clinic in Balageri, on Thursday, June 12, after a six-month-old girl reportedly died due to an overdose of steroid injections administered for a leg lump.

The deceased infant, Sharanya, was the daughter of R. Shivaraju and Roja, residents of Moti Nagar in Nalabandawadi, Chamundeshwari Layout. According to police, a lump with pus had appeared on the right thigh of the five-month-old baby. The parents had taken her to Saifulla's clinic for treatment. A month later, a similar lump appeared on her left leg. On June 10, the couple again visited the same clinic.

Saifulla examined the lump and administered an injection into the left leg, assuring the parents that the baby would recover quickly. However, within an hour of returning home, the infant began crying loudly and struggling. A worried Shivaraju called Saifulla, who reportedly told him that the reaction was due to the injection and that the baby would be fine after sleeping.

A few hours later, the baby developed breathing difficulties. Shivaraju again called Saifulla, who advised him to buy nasal drops from a pharmacy and put a couple of drops in her nose. While the breathing difficulty subsided slightly after administering the drops that night, the baby continued to be restless until morning. When Shivaraju called Saifulla again in the morning, he was advised to consult a pediatrician. The couple then rushed the baby to Sridevi Mission Hospital in the city at 7 AM, where doctors declared the child dead.