A TIKTOK influencer has been arrested for allegedly posing as a doctor, giving out medical advice, and trying to sneak into a hospital.
Matthew Lani, 27, managed to garner some 300,000 followers on the social media platform allegedly under the guise of medical expertise.
TikTok/Matthew LaniTikTok star Matthew Lani was arrested for allegedly posing as a doctor[/caption]
TikTok/Matthew LaniHe is accused of garnering 300,000 on TikTok by sharing medical advice and selling medication online[/caption]
X/@Khanyih_NgubaneFootage of Lani being apprehended at a hospital while wearing a stethoscope has gone viral on social media[/caption]
He is accused of stepping things up a notch this past weekend by attempting to enter a Johannesburg hospital while dressed like a doctor, with a surgical mask and a stethoscope around his neck.
South Africa’s Gauteng department of health confirmed in a statement on Sunday: “Lani was caught just before 8pm disguised in a hoodie and wearing a surgical mask with a stethoscope around his neck.
“He had previously entered the same facility to curate misleading content under the pretence that he was a qualified doctor.”
The health department claimed Lani tried to escape security guards after being apprehended at Helen Joseph Hospital by jumping through a bathroom window.
He was caught again and handed over to police.
Dramatic footage of Lani being held down by security guards has gone viral on social media.
It shows him wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with a picture of SpongeBob SquarePants and gripping a surgical mask.
A security guard waves a stethoscope at him, which Lani insists does not belong to him.
People rushed to comment on the unfolding situation.
One person wrote: “Next thing he’s live tomorrow morning!”
Someone else said: “Maybe he staged this too.”
Another said: “I’ve been waiting for this day.”
Another commented: “Poor Dr. Mathews Lani arrested while he was doing his night shift.”
Lani had more than 300,000 followers on TikTok before his account was closed and he created a new one, which currently has more than 57,000 followers.
The first post on his new account features a video of him looking ahead with text that reads: “When surrounded by noise. Be quiet. Let them believe what they wanna believe.”
His arrest followed a weeks-long manhunt launched as questions were raised about his qualifications.
The 27-year-old claimed to have received a medical degree from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, but neither graduated from the institution nor obtained his school-leaving certificate, the BBC reports.
It is alleged Lani tried to mislead authorities by saying his real name was Dr Sanele Zingelwa, who is a real second-year medical intern at the Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital.
The BBC reports Dr Zingelwa has opened a criminal case against Lani, accusing him of fraud.
There have been about 124 arrests related to impersonating a doctor in South Africa in the last three years, according to the Ministry of Health.
Earlier this month, an Australian TikToker dubbed the real-life Walter Mitty was revealed to be a fraud after she gave health and sex advice to thousands while wearing fake scrubs.
Dalya Karezi, 30, pretended to be a doctor and gave people unqualified support on how to solve their very serious problems.
She dressed up in a doctor’s outfit, used fake medical acronyms to “prove” her status, claimed to have a degree, and told people she had a real job as a medical professional.
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