Doctor examining a patients heart beat with a stethoscope.Yuri Arcurs
An Ontario man accused of masquerading as a doctor has been arrested in Alberta and brought back to his home province to face multiple fraud charges in connection with the operation of a laser clinic.
Arun Reddy, 31, owned and operated Lindsay Medical Laser Therapy in Lindsay, Ont., east of Toronto, where he is alleged to have duped a range of individuals and insurance companies into believing he was a qualified physician.
In all, eight insurance firms have filed complaints so far.
A total of about $88,000 was allegedly claimed fraudulently, and about half that amount was paid out to the clinic, which began operating roughly 18 months ago.
The claims filed to the insurance companies bore a legitimate electronic-coding designation issued by the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons but Mr. Reddy was not authorized to use it, said Detective Constable Rob Brown of 41 Division.
The people he treated had a variety of ailments, including injuries sustained in auto accidents.
Mr. Reddy was arrested last week in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., on a Canada-wide warrant and has been charged with 15 counts of fraud and attempted fraud.
The investigation was launched in January after police received information from the Insurance Bureau of Canada and Aviva Canada Inc., a multinational insurance provider based in Scarborough, Ont.
The case was handled by Toronto police because all the alleged victims are from there.
"The insurance companies are taking a pretty strong stand on this kind of fraud," Det. Brown said.
As to the exact number of people treated at the clinic, "they're still trying to figure that out."
Mr. Reddy is alleged to have fled to Alberta after learning of the police investigation and is now in custody, with a bail hearing scheduled in Toronto next week.