A 51-year-old Indian-origin doctor in New Jersey, US, is at the centre of a shocking scandal after US federal prosecutors charged him with illegally prescribing powerful painkillers in exchange for sexual favours and defrauding the state’s healthcare system.
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Dr Ritesh Kalra, an internist from Secaucus who ran a practice in Fair Lawn, is accused of turning his medical office into a “pill mill”, writing thousands of prescriptions for high-dose opioids, including oxycodone, and promethazine with codeine without any legitimate medical justification.
“Physicians hold a position of profound responsibility, but as alleged, Dr Kalra used that position to fuel addiction, exploit vulnerable patients for sex, and defraud New Jersey’s public healthcare programme,” US Attorney Alina Habba said a statement on Friday.
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According to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, Kalra issued over 31,000 oxycodone prescriptions between January 2019 and February 2025, sometimes writing more than 50 prescriptions in a single day. In addition to the alleged drug distribution, the doctor has been charged with billing for fictitious in-person consultations and counselling sessions.
US authorities said Kalra appeared before a magistrate judge in Newark on Thursday and has been released on home incarceration under an unsecured bond of $100,000. As part of the conditions, he has been ordered to suspend all medical practice while the case proceeds.
While the charges have stirred outrage, Kalra’s defence has pushed back. His attorney, Michael Baldassare, dismissed the allegations as sensationalised, saying the government press release read like a ‘supermarket tabloid’.
Kalra’s case now joins a growing list of medical professionals in the US accused of exploiting the opioid crisis for personal gain, amid a wider crackdown on prescription drug abuse.
(With PTI Inputs)