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London, Sept 30 (PTI) An Indian-origin woman worked as a dentist in British hospitals for nine years with a fake medical degree, and earned 230,000 pounds over this period, a media report said.

Vinisha Sharma used a fake degree certificate to register with the General Dental Council, and she managed to fool her employers at the National Health Service hospitals for nine years before being caught, the 'Daily Mail' reported.The 37-year-old, who claimed she completed her Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree in India, worked at seven different hospitals from February 2000 to February 2009.

Her fraud was first discovered in 2008 after one of her colleagues raised concerns about her skills and knowledge of the job.Sharma claimed she had studied at the Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Amritsar, Punjab -- but the university had no record of her graduating, the report said.She even had the letters BDS -- Bachelor of Dental Surgery -- as part of her personalised Mercedes numberplate, the Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.Sharma's work at Oral and Maxillofacial departments at hospitals in Wolverhampton, Burton, Southend, Basildon and Thurrock, Essex, Peterborough and Stamford and Sussex involved examining patients, carrying out minor surgeries, and dealing with trauma, alongside senior consultants.Sharma of Willenhall, West Midlands, was charged after an investigation by the NHS Counter Fraud Service.

Prosecutors said her fraud was only discovered when a consultant, Patrick Magennis, raised concerns about her qualifications in 2008.She tried to gain full registration with the GDC, but her application was turned down because she did not appear to have the requisite knowledge. However, she managed to carry on working due to her temporary registration.

Source: http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/indianorigin-woman-worked-as-dentist-with-fake-degree-report/365536.html