OSAKA (TR) – Osaka Prefectural Police have arrested a 39-year-old former doctor for the third time after he allegedly ordered thousands of psychotropic pills for his own consumption at the expense of his employer, reports Mainichi Broadcasting System (Aug. 4).
Keishi Hirata, a resident of Wakayama City, is accused of defrauding a nursing care medical facility in Izumisano City where he previously worked. Between May 2024 and January of this year, Hirata allegedly ordered 8,500 psychotropic pills for personal use, forcing the facility to foot the bill of approximately 59,000 yen.
Upon his arrest, Hirata admitted to the allegations. “I ordered them with the intention of taking them myself,” he told investigators. “I was mentally exhausted and took them to relieve stress.”
The investigation was launched in March after the Izumisano facility contacted police to report that roughly 20,000 medical pills managed by Hirata had gone missing.
This marks the third arrest for the disgraced practitioner. In June, the prefectural police arrested Hirata on suspicion of violating the Medical Practitioners’ Act, alleging that he had examined a total of 95 patients during that period.
