74 year old imposter doctor arrested in Bangkok clinic, shocking colleagues
Fake doctor confesses to spend all saraly to fund gambling habit
A Thai man impersonated a doctor to work at a clinic in the Lat Phrao area of Bangkok. He confessed that he wanted to earn a high salary to fund his gambling addiction.
Officers from the Metropolitan Police Bureau Division 3 received a complaint about the impersonation. The complainant reported that the identity and certificate of Dr Manit Jaruwan were used to apply as a part-time doctor at several clinics.
The complainant considered the impersonation a threat to society, as the suspect not only swindled money from clinic owners but also put patients at risk.
Police conducted further investigation into the complaint and found that the identity thief was a 74 year old man, Boonmak Phansila.
The imposter doctor claimed that he had graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in Beijing, China, and falsely stated that his name had not yet been included in the Medical Council registry because the documentation was still being processed.
Officers today, September 5, raided the Lat Phrao clinic where the fake doctor was working and arrested him. He confessed to identity theft, saying he found Manit’s documents in a Facebook group where the doctor had shared them to seek part-time work.
Boonmak admitted that he had previously worked closely with doctors and saw that they earned high salaries. Using the fake identity, he managed to earn between 500 and 1,000 baht per hour at the clinic and had been working there for about two months. He revealed that he spent most of his income on online gambling.
Other medical professionals at the clinic were reportedly shocked when they learned the truth. They said they had respected Boonmak because of his age and believed he had been practising medicine all his life.
One nurse admitted that Boonmak frequently prescribed unusual medicines for patients. She had been suspicious but did not dare to question him out of respect.
However, nurses noted that Boonmak was open to any concerns regarding prescriptions and would make adjustments according to their suggestions.
ThaiRath reported that this was not the first time Boonmak had been caught posing as a doctor. He had previously been arrested twice.
In 2017, Boonmak was arrested in the nursing room of a manufacturer in the eastern province of Rayong and was released temporarily. He later escaped court proceedings and repeated his fraudulent activities at the Bangkok clinic.
Police confirmed that Boonmak will be prosecuted for his past crimes first. For the latest case, officers will gather additional evidence of his illegal activities before concluding his legal punishment.
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