Mumbai, Aug 19 (IANS): In a big operation, the Mumbai Police and BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation busted five allegedly bogus 'senior' doctors operating in the sprawling slums of Govandi-Shivajinagar areas of north-east Mumbai, officials said here on Thursday.

Following a reliable tipoff, police inspector H.M. Nanavare and constable N.B. Sawant investigated the matter discreetly and then informed the BMC Assistant Health Officer of M-East Ward Dr. Priya Koli.

A joint team of the BMC and police on Wednesday raided the premises of the five doctors who had been flourishing for long in the slums, charging exorbitantly for various kinds of treatment from the patients.

An official said that the doctors had no medical degrees or certificates or registration with the Maharashtra Medical Council or any other authority and were found to be impersonators.

However, they were blatantly 'treating' patients of all kinds of diseases, injuries or wounds, administering injections, giving or prescribing medicines, advising surgeries, etc.

The teams raided the locations separately and nabbed the five 'senior' doctors -- all males, aged between 43 and 53.

The police also recovered large quantities of medical stuff including stethoscopes, injections, bottles of drips and injections, surgical trays, all types of oral drugs and syrups, antibiotics, and even certain sensitive or restricted use drugs, medical literature, etc. from the premises that were searched.

The five accused have been booked under various sections of Indian Penal Code and Maharashtra Medical Practitioners Act, 1961 and further investigations are underway.