Key Points:
Mumbai homeopathic doctor Poonam Sharma (54) arrested in Chennai for performing unauthorized ear-lobe repair surgeries.
Procedures were conducted from a makeshift clinic in a hotel on Kodambakkam High Road.
Assistant Shilpa (44) was also arrested.
Complaint was filed by the Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists (IADVL).
Sharma runs a clinic in Nariman Point, Mumbai, and studied at Nagpur Homeopathy College.
She posted 800+ videos online and claimed to have treated 5,000+ patients in 15 cities.
Patients reportedly booked procedures via WhatsApp with a ₹2,000 fee.
Both accused were remanded to judicial custody.
A Mumbai-based homeopathic doctor, Poonam Sharma (54), was arrested in Chennai after authorities discovered she was performing unauthorized ear-lobe repair surgeries from a makeshift clinic inside a hotel. Her assistant, Shilpa (44), was also taken into custody during the operation carried out by health officials and police.
The arrests followed a raid conducted on Wednesday at a hotel on Kodambakkam High Road in Chennai, where Sharma had reportedly set up a temporary treatment facility to perform cosmetic procedures.
Authorities later handed the accused over to Teynampet police, who registered a case and initiated further investigation.
According to officials, Poonam Sharma, a homeopathic practitioner who studied at Nagpur Homeopathy College in Maharashtra, operates a homeopathy clinic in Nariman Point, Mumbai.
She promoted herself online as a specialist who could safely pierce ears and repair damaged ear lobes, a cosmetic procedure commonly referred to as auroplasty, which helps people who cannot wear earrings due to torn or stretched ear lobes.
Sharma gained significant attention on social media. She reportedly posted more than 800 videos online and claimed to have treated over 5,000 patients across more than 15 cities in India, which helped her attract clients from different parts of the country.
The alleged illegal surgeries came to light after Kaviyarasan, president of the Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists, filed a complaint with the Directorate of Medical and Rural Welfare Services in Tamil Nadu.
The complaint stated that Sharma was performing surgical procedures without proper medical qualifications or authorization in Tamil Nadu and was using surgical instruments intended for allopathic doctors.
It also cited a Tamil Nadu government order issued on February 13, which states that only qualified dermatologists or cosmetic surgery specialists with appropriate facilities are permitted to perform such procedures.
Acting on the complaint, a team led by Dr Meenakshi Sundari, Joint Director of Medical and Rural Welfare Services, carried out a raid at the hotel where Sharma was reportedly conducting procedures.
During the raid, officials detained Sharma and her receptionist Shilpa, who is a resident of Kandappa Mudhali Street in Elephant Gate, Chennai.
Both were handed over to Teynampet police at around 2 pm, following which a case was registered under Sections 125, 272 and 318(4), along with Section 15(3) of the Medical Council Act.
Police investigation revealed that Poonam Sharma had visited Chennai at least three times last year and stayed at a hotel in Nungambakkam to offer similar treatments.
Authorities said she arranged appointments through mobile phone contacts, often reaching out to people who had previously undergone treatment.
Patients who approached her through WhatsApp were reportedly required to pay a booking fee of ₹2,000 before scheduling the procedure.
Following the arrest, Poonam Sharma and Shilpa were produced before a magistrate court. The court subsequently remanded both accused to judicial custody as the investigation into the unauthorized medical procedures continues.
Authorities are now examining the extent of the alleged illegal surgeries and whether additional patients were treated during Sharma’s visits to Chennai.
(Rh/ARC)