A doctor from north Calcutta discovered that a namesake had used his medical registration number to get a government job and was practising in at least four hospitals using his identity.

Based on a complaint from the doctor, Sunil Shaw, police arrested the alleged imposter on Wednesday.

The police said Shaw, a resident of Rustamjee Parsi Road in Cossipore, had come to know recently that a man by the same name had secured a job as a medical officer in Madhyamgram Municipality and was also practising in four private hospitals.

“Shaw came to know about his namesake. He verified the documents that the fake doctor was using and found that his registration number was used to get an appointment as a medical officer in a municipality,” said an officer of the Kolkata Police.

During their investigation, the police found that the fake doctor had allegedly forged a diploma in “child medicine” and was using a marksheet purportedly issued from the NRS Medical College and Hospital.

“We found later that he had used a genuine candidate’s marksheet as his own by changing the name of the candidate,” said the officer.

Shaw reported the matter to Cossipore police station a few weeks earlier and also to the chief medical officer of health.

As a protocol, the accused was showcaused prompting him to tender his resignation.

The police said after resigning he went “underground” for a few days.

The cops tracked him down and arrested this person whose name is also Sunil Shaw. The alleged fake doctor is a resident of Baidya Para Main Road at Halisahar in North 24-Parganas.

He has been charged under sections of fraud, forgery and cheating.