A Greek bogus doctor, known by the pseudonym Nicholaos Kontos, was arrested in Athens on charges of manslaughter and fraud this week after allegedly fabricating medical qualifications.
He has allegedly caused three deaths by posing as a doctor and giving patients medical directions posing as either a US-educated paediatric oncologist, surgical neurophysiologist, an executive member of the International Red Cross and researcher at a renowned Swiss medical centre. Local media outlets are also reporting that he sometimes presented himself as a physiotherapist and doctor with links to the Vatican.
He was finally spotted as a fraud by another doctor who noticed his inability to correctly sanitise his hands, the Guardian reports.
Some of his purported victims told the Guardian that he was introduced to them through church circles where it was said he had very important studies from New York. Alleged victims were introduced to him through relatives seeking solace in monasteries or at Mount Athos. He presented himself as a spiritual man as well as a medical professional.
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Medical treatments he offered were mainly diet-based with medicinal herbs and cannabis, however they are believed to have lead to the deaths of two children, aged 14 and 16, as well as a 76-year-old man. Their combined medical bills were more than 58,000 euros.
Distraught relatives had already raised the alarm bells regarding the doctor’s practices to police more than a year ago, however another doctor also alerted the police after noticing his ignorance regarding surgical procedures.
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On Thursday, Skai TV reported he was found at a luxurious villa after police followed a school bus carrying his children. He allegedly told police that he had been expecting them. He has not yet been identified by his real name, however more details about him will be released by police as the investigation proceeds in the hope that other victims might come forth.
