Pathologist Dr Pravin Shinde was arrested on April 9, but his signatures continued to feature in tests reports issued by the labs.Around 15 pathology labs in the city are under the scanner after they handed patients test reports bearing signatures of a doctor who has been arrested for wrongly diagnosing a property consultant as HIV positive.Dr Pravin Shinde, who runs a lab in Navi Mumbai and is attached to many diagnostics centres, was arrested this week after Pacific Lab in Malad gave property consultant Joel Chettiar the false HIV report signed by Dr Shinde.The Charkop police believe that it was a ploy by Pacific Lab and Dr Shinde to scare the patient, who is healthy, into pursuing expensive HIV treatment.Even though Dr Shinde has been in police custody since April 9, his signatures have continued to feature in medical reports issued by the 15 labs, according to the Maharashtra Association of Practising Pathology and Microbiology (MAPPM).Accurate Diagnostic Centre in Borivali, in fact, issued a urine-examination report bearing Shinde’s signature to a 32-year-old man on Friday. At the time, Shinde was in a court, which remanded him in judicial custody till April 15. Another lab in Borivali, May Flower, issued a similar report to an 18-year-old woman.MAPPM has handed copies of such reports to the Charkop police and the Maharashtra Medical Council, which are verifying the information. If the allegations are proved, the labs could face closure.“This is just shocking. The pathologist concerned is in the lock-up, but his signatures are there on reports issued by the 15 labs,” said Dr Rajesh Mane, secretary of MAPPM. “How did they get his signature?”According to information with the state medical council, Dr Shinde is attached to six pathology labs. But MAPPM said that it received complaints that he was providing his services to 28 centres.The medical council’s norms require that every centre have at least on-duty pathologist. “The pathologist has to be present while the reports are given to patients. A technician or any other staff member cannot sign the reports on his/her behalf,” said the council’s president, Dr Kishor Taori.Dr Shinde was arrested on April 9 for signing the false HIV report. Rajendra Mehra, a technician from the lab concerned, has also been arrested in the case.Chettiar has said that he underwent a blood test at Pacific Labs on March 20 following the advice of a doctor, who was concerned about his rapid weight loss. On March 23, he received a report signed by Dr Shinde that said that he was HIV positive. Mehra then asked him to pay Rs 1 lakh for the treatment and assured him that he would fully recover from the infection in three months.But when Chettiar, who once contemplated suicide, underwent tests at two different centres, one government and the other private, he learnt that Pacific Lab’s diagnosis was wrong. He, in fact, has no serious illness.Dr Taori said that Pacific Lab had been shut down and now Dr Shinde could lose his licence. “By giving false diagnosis, some pathologists are playing with patients’ lives,” he said.