Washington| Agency
A US based Indian origin psychiatrist has been arrested in the US capital for allegedly over prescribing medicines, resulting in the death of 36 of his patients.
Narendra Nagareddy, who after the incidents has been tagged as Dr Death, is a psychiatrist in Clayton County, Georgia. Nearly 40 federal and local agents raided Nagareddy’s offices and later moved on to his home to seize more assets.
“He’s a psychiatrist in Jonesboro who has been over-prescribing opiates and benzodiazepine and the last several years has had a multitude of overdoses and overdose deaths,” Clayton County Police Chief Mike Register was quoted while speaking to WSB-TV Channel 2 News.
Tracy Graham Lawson, Clayton County District Attorney, said: “He’s(Nagareddy) charged with prescribing pain medication which is outside his profession as a psychiatrist and not for a legitimate purpose for the patient.”
According to legal documents, 36 of Nagareddy’s patients have died while being prescribed controlled substances from Nagareddy while 12 among them succumbed to the reaction caused by the medicine prescribed for drug intoxication.
“Former and current patients have admitted to obtaining controlled substance prescriptions from Nagareddy without having a legitimate medical need,” the documents said.
“People come to this person for help, and instead of getting help, they’re met with deadly consequences,” Clayton County Police Chief Register was quoted as saying. “If the allegations are true, he is Dr Death, no doubt about it.”
The district attorney’s office said they also filed a RICO civil action to seize Nagareddy’s assets.
One of Nagareddy’s patient has been identified as Audrey Austin, a 29-year-old mother of two. She died of a fatal prescription drug overdose just days after she visited Nagareddy.
