A 43-year-old Berbice man was on Monday placed before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman for pretending to be a doctor and attempting to solicit money from a businessman for an open heart surgery.

Prem Chand also called ‘Sunil Dwayne’  pleaded guilty to the charge when he appeared before the magistrate at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court and explained to the court that he was frustrated and came up with a plan to get the money.The man was diagnosed with a rare heard condition sometime ago.

The charge alleged that Chand on October 4, 2018 at Eccles, East Bank Demerara with intent to commit a felony, that is to say simple larceny, he devised a trick by pretending to be Dr Mahendra Carpen to collect $100,000 from one Frank Sanchara.

Police Prosecutor Quinn Harris disclosed to the court that on the day in question Chand called Sanchara via telephone and pretended to be Dr Carpen, a cardiologist at the Caribbean Heart Institute, which is located at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.

The caller reportedly told Sanchara that he needed $100,000 for a patient to undergo an open heart surgery. The prosecutor noted that the businessman immediately realised that that caller was a fraudster and called  Dr Carpen , who confirmed that it was not him on the line.

Sanchara made arraignment for the  caller to and collect the money and when Chand arrived he (Chand) introduced himself as Dr. Carpen. The police was summoned and the man was arrested.He allegedly confessed to the crime.

The Principal Magistrate after considering Chand’s early guilty plea and his mitigation fined him $100,000 or default six months imprisonment.

In 2010, Chand was sentenced to six years for forging Former President Bharrat Jagdeo’s signature on a letter stating that he had been pardoned of a criminal offence.

The letter also stated that he should not tell the media or any police official or else he would be dealt with severely. The letter also stated that he was on a bond to keep the peace for 40 years.

He was also charged for using the name Rabindra Rooplall to obtain $5,000 from a man by pretending that he was a Pastor at the Assembly of God Church and was collecting donations.

After his release from prison in 2016, Chand made the news again following a video circulating on Facebook claiming that he woke up in the morgue at a Berbice hospital after being pronounced dead. Chand had checked into the medical facility for his heart condition after feeling chest pains.He said he woke up at the morgue five hours later.

However, a senior medical practitioner from the Hospital later debunked Chand claims stating that the man is a well known character and was undergoing psychiatric treatment.