Romanian police detain Italian who performed plastic surgery Romanian police have detained an Italian citizen who allegedly posed as a plastic surgeon in clinics around Bucharest

BUCHAREST, Romania -- Romanian police on Wednesday detained an Italian citizen who allegedly posed as a plastic surgeon in clinics around Bucharest.

Border police detained Matteo Politi on a train on the Romanian-Hungarian border early Wednesday after an alert went out. A statement said he was being investigated for fraud and would be brought to Bucharest later.

Politi, 38, who used the alias Matthew Mode and claimed he was British, had been operating in several private clinics. The College of Medics said Tuesday that it hadn't issued Politi with a license to practice.

Romanian health authorities, who must also issue a separate permit to doctors, say he was given one in March 2018 after submitting a fake diploma claiming he'd qualified as a doctor in Kosovo. Health Minister Sorina Pintea said she suspected corruption.

Plastic surgeon Adina Alberts who reported him to authorities said he worked at her clinic and initially fooled her: "He was brilliant at talking," she said. But she had doubts after seeing the way he held a syringe. She said one patient suffered "complications" after breast implant surgery.

Media reports said Politi previously received a suspended 18-month sentence in Italy for having posed as a doctor without a license.