Labyrinth of medicine: Two fake hakeems held in Mingora

Some are also involved in selling narcotics in city

MINGORA: Members of a group of fake hakeems who were looting people in Mingora, Swat were arrested and exposed before the media by the police on Wednesday.

Speaking to journalists, DPO Habibullah Khan said a gang comprising around 100 fake hakeems were operating in the city and prescribing bogus medicine to patients.

He said SHO Akhtar Ayub was assigned the task to spearhead a crackdown against all fake hakeems following several complaints by locals.  Two hakeems involved in illegal businesses in the city were taken into custody and investigation to track and arrest all of them is under way.



“So far two fake hakeems identified as Muhibullah, a resident of Peshawar, and Imran Khan, a resident of Mingora city have been arrested on charges of prescribing substandard medicine to people,” Habibullah said. He added, “The police also seized a large cache of bogus medicines from their shops.” The DSP told journalists people had complained about hakeems who were charging patients an exorbitant fee and also charged hefty amount for medicines. “Residents said despite paying a lot of money, their diseases and ailments continued to persist,” he said.

More than what meets the eye

The DSP stated apart from selling bogus medicine to patients, fake hakeems were also involved in the secret sale of narcotics.

“The police apprehended a drug seller identified as Kashif Iqbal and confiscated a kilogramme of drugs from him,” he said, adding, when interrogated further, Iqbal confessed to masquerading as a fake hakeem in the city as well. Residents of Mingora have been pressing the district administration and the police to start crackdowns against drug sellers, fake hakeems and beggars who have made life difficult, especially in the month of Ramazan.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 23^rd, 2016.