De-addiction centres turn into drug trafficking hubs, expose reveals alarming nexus with docs

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Daily Excelsior

*Outstation docs’ credentials misused to procure narcotics for multiple centres

Govind Sharma

JAMMU, Oct 30: An alarming nexus involving private de-addiction centres, medical practitioners and establishment owners has exposed how facilities meant to rescue drug-dependent youth were allegedly being used as conduits for the commercial procurement and distribution of controlled narcotic substances in Jammu district. The scale of alleged diversion of Buprenorphine-Naloxone, a medicine used in the treatment of opioid dependence, raises serious questions about the safety of vulnerable patients and the effectiveness of regulatory safeguards.

The gravity of the alleged racket is evident from the findings of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Jammu, which point towards systematic misuse of medical registration certificates, questionable prescriptions, unauthorized clinical establishments and doctors allegedly practicing simultaneously in different states of the country. The authorities have described the situation as a public health emergency, warning that the network could be facilitating the diversion of habit-forming medicines into illicit channels.

The modus operandi allegedly involved doctors from outside Jammu and Kashmir obtaining additional qualification registrations in MD Psychiatry from the J&K Medical Council (JKMC), largely on the basis of their primary registrations in other states. Their credentials were subsequently used by private clinic owners to procure large quantities of controlled medicines, even when the doctors were neither physically present nor genuinely practicing at the establishments.

In several instances, non-medical proprietors allegedly operated the facilities using doctors’ registrations as a protective cover. Whenever a practitioner was exposed or action initiated, another doctor from outside the UT was reportedly brought in to ensure that procurement continued uninterrupted. In some cases, credentials were allegedly used to obtain narcotics for establishments that did not even exist on the ground.

The most disturbing example concerns Jammu Manorog Clinic at Deeli Langar, Kunjwani Bypass, where 1,45,110 Buprenorphine-Naloxone tablets were reportedly sold during just 21 days spread across 2024 to 2026, averaging nearly 7,000 tablets daily.

On May 25, 2026 alone, 10,120 tablets were reportedly sold while 330 patients were recorded as attended during a seven-hour working day. This translates into less than one minute per patient, making meaningful medical assessment, counselling and prescription practically impossible.

The clinic allegedly engaged Dr Rupi Varsha Soren without official approval. More seriously, during the same period, she was simultaneously shown as a full-time, 24×7 In-Charge Psychiatrist at Ek Prayaas Hospital in Garhshankar, Punjab, raising serious questions about the authenticity of the consultations and prescriptions recorded at Jammu.

The original owner of the clinic, Dr Khushboo Chauhan, was also found to have been holding provisional registration while allegedly practicing simultaneously in Punjab and different districts of J&K, including Samba and Kathua. She had earlier faced penal action by the District Registering Authority, Kathua.

Another case concerns Dr Parvaiz Ahmad Khan, Person-in-Charge of Jammu Manorog Clinic, who admitted to operating an unregistered de-addiction facility at Jhajjar Kotli and procuring habit-forming substances, including Buprenorphine. Despite repeated reminders, he failed to disclose the exact location and legal ownership of the establishment. His claim that it was merely a temporary arrangement was rejected by the authorities.

The District Registering Authority has now imposed a penalty of Rs 5,000 on Dr Khan following his voluntary request to pay the fine for operating without registration under the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010. He has been given 30 days to deposit the amount, disclose the facility’s location and ownership and furnish supporting documents. The authorities have clarified that payment of the penalty will not prevent further action over alleged NDPS Act violations.

The findings further expose the case of Dr Samyami Lekkekatte of Karnataka, who, despite holding only an MBBS registration (Number 18559), allegedly functioned as an MD Psychiatry specialist at Disha De-addiction Clinic without the requisite specialist registration. He was reportedly neither the declared practitioner nor the Person-in-Charge but allegedly procured and sold controlled psychotropic medicines.

The submission also names several other doctors whose registrations and affidavits were allegedly rotated to facilitate uninterrupted drug procurement, including Dr Adarsh Bhalla, Dr Naresh Goel, Dr Chintala Haripriya, Dr Praneeth Sabbani, Dr Enub Ali, Dr Shaik Farhat Sultana, Dr Adithya S, Dr Nithin Kondapuram, Dr Rayapureddy S Krishna Kumar, Dr Aditya U, Dr Swapnil Omprakash Yadav and Dr Anuraag Aedma. Persons-in-Charge mentioned include Dr Imran Khan, Dr Sumeet Singh, Dr Konnur Prakash Srinivas and Dr Amir Mohamed Sheriff.

Significantly, the allegations have also received independent corroboration from the CID J&K, which, in a communication dated October 6, 2025, to the Chief Secretary, had warned that private de-addiction centres were turning into hubs of illicit drug trafficking and called for a multi-layered verification mechanism.

Observing that no doctor could meaningfully examine a patient, assess the need for narcotic medication, counsel him, prescribe and dispense medicines in less than a minute, the CMO stressed that the activity amounted to commercial distribution of controlled drugs under the cover of medical registration rather than genuine treatment.

Seeking to dismantle the alleged network, the CMO has urged JKMC to introduce mandatory CID verification of applicants, strict cross-verification of registrations issued by other states, background checks of clinic owners and publication of a cautionary blacklist. JKMC has also approached the Narcotics Control Bureau in Delhi and the National Drug Controller, seeking stringent legal action against the doctors concerned under the NDPS Act.

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