In the spring of 2009, Fulton County authorities caught a serial sexual predator, a doctor who preyed on his female patients.
Two and a half years later, a Superior Court judge peered down at him, ready to hand him his sentence.
For decades, Dr. Narendra "Vinni" Gupta had largely evaded punishment for behavior that would have sent other men to prison or the poorhouse or both. The system that is supposed to protect patients from physician abuse had broken down time after time after time.
"I just don’t know why they can't stop him," one of his victims said. "It just keeps going."
Credit: Johnny Edwards
Credit: Johnny Edwards
Hospitals had shielded him. Medical boards and police had looked the other way. And many victims had been too humiliated or too scared to take a stand against Gupta.
But finally, in Atlanta, the doctor had been called out, publicly. Would there be justice?
The story of Dr. Gupta and the 18 women he violated, harassed, attacked and subjected to unchaperoned intimate exams spans three countries and nearly three decades. It's the focus of season 3 of "Breakdown," the AJC's true-crime podcast series. This installment grew out of last year's award-winning Doctors & Sex Abuse project by the AJC's investigative team.
With Episode 6 posted Monday, the entire season is now available on iTunes and other podcast networks. You can also hear episodes at the links below, and you can find all three "Breakdown" seasons at MyAJC.com.
Here's an episode rundown:
EPISODE 1: "Predator, M.D." When he came to Atlanta from Ohio in the early 2000s, Dr. Gupta brought something with him besides his medical degree and his expertise.
Credit: Johnny Edwards
Credit: Johnny Edwards
EPISODE 2: "Prey." Dr. Gupta lost privileges at two Ohio hospitals, but there were red flags even earlier, during his time working in Canada.
EPISODE 3: "Compulsion." Why would a doctor risk his career, possibly even his freedom, by repeatedly sexually abusing patients and employees?
EPISODE 4: "Arrested." Dr. Gupta never faced any criminal charges in Ohio. But that would change in Georgia. How did he get a medical license here?
EPISODE 5: "Punishment." Dr. Gupta stood before a Fulton County judge and pleaded guilty. The conditions of his sentence were unusual.
EPISODE 6: "Banishment." The AJC tracks Gupta down. What he's doing now has his victims furious.
NOTE: This podcast episode contains mature subject matter. Listener discretion is advised.
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