Police arrested two Nepal Medical Council (NMC) licensing examinees from Swoyambhu on Saturday after investigations revealed that they had used fake higher secondary degrees for their medical studies.

Police from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) arrested Prithvi Narayan Yadav, 29, of Bara and Rajib Kumar Jha, 31, of Rautahat. Yadav had obtained a fake certificate that read he had passed his higher secondary degree in the first division from the Bihar Intermediate Education Council (BIEC). Apparently, Yadav had secured second division in the higher secondary and had later obtained a fake mark-sheet. He then pursued his MBBS degree from China and failed the licensing examination for 13 times.

Superintendent of Police Dibesh Lohani, spokesperson for the CIB, said Jha had also deliberately increased his marks in physics and chemistry in a certificate issued by the BIEC where he had got second division marks. Jha then received his medical degree from China but had failed the NMC licensing test for 12 times.

The CIB arrested Jha and Yadav from an exam centre in Swoyambhu, Kathmandu, where a total of 1,525 candidates sat for the tests. All MBBS graduates sit the licensing test before they can practice medicine as a doctor.

SP Lohani said the arrestees will be charged with fraudulence under the NMC Act-1964 that provisions imprisonment up to three years or a fine up to Rs 3,000 or both.

With the duo’s arrest, a total of 17 doctors who had procured false academic credentials have been rounded up since February. The CIB has been running its “Operation Quack” to crack down on the doctors’ fake degrees. Among the arrested, the Kathmandu District Court has sought bail from 14. While 13 doctors have already been released, one remains in the custody after he failed to produce the amount sought by court.

Police are yet to file a case against another arrestee Binita Yadav who is undergoing treatment at the psychiatry unit of the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. Yadav was taken ill right after her arrest by the CIB.

Meanwhile, the NMC said they have begun scrutinising the School Leaving Certificates and higher secondary certificates of the MBBS graduates. Dr Krishna Adhikari, spokesperson for the NMC, said the office of the controller of examinations and the Higher Secondary Education Board have begun verifying the certificates. Among the over 17,000 registered doctors, digital records of 16,000 are available and the verification is likely to complete by the end of April.

The NMC initiated the process after getting numerous complaints following the arrest of fake doctors. For the doctors who have recently passed their licensing examination, the task will be over in the next two years after which these newly registered doctors should reapply for permanent licence. So far, the NMC has been issuing temporary licence to MBBS graduates with two-year validity.