KOLKATA: Four people were arrested on Monday at the state-run SSKM Hospital in Kolkata for allegedly duping patients who came to get treated there, police said.
The arrests were made by the Kolkata Police's Anti-Rowdy Section (ARS), which began a special drive against touts at state-run hospitals in the city.
Acting on complaints, personnel of the ARS raided the hospital in the morning and nabbed them, a police officer said.
"These touts were active at the SSKM Hospital for quite some time. They have duped several patients and their families in the name of getting them admission to the hospital. We had received several complaints regarding these touts," he said.
The four accused are residents of the nearby Bhowanipore area, he added.
A case has been filed under relevant sections of the IPC, including cheating and criminal conspiracy, the officer said.
TMC MLA Madan Mitra alleged a big racket was operational in the state, and thanked the police for the action.
"Some influential people are backing these touts. All these people have formed a big racket. A tout sends a patient from one hospital to another, taking money, and then the money is shared among them," Mitra, a resident of Bhawanipore, claimed.
(With PTI inputs)
