The Kolkata Police started a special anti-tout drive at the state-run hospitals in the city on Monday, and arrested four people from the SSKM Hospital, officials said.

The arrests were made by the Anti-Rowdy Section (ARS) of the police, which raided the hospital campus in the morning, they said.

"We have started a special drive against touts at the state-run hospitals. Today, we have began raids. There will be such raids at other hospitals as well," a police officer said.?

"The touts, who have been arrested, were active at the SSKM Hospital for quite some time. They have duped several patients and their families by taking money in the name of getting them admission to the hospital. We had received several complaints regarding these touts," he said.

The four accused are residents of the nearby Bhowanipore area, he added.

A case has been filed under relevant sections of the IPC, including cheating and criminal conspiracy, the officer said.

TMC MLA Madan Mitra alleged a big racket was operational in the state-run hospitals, and thanked the police for the action.

?"Some influential people are backing these touts. All these people have formed a big racket. A tout sends a patient from one hospital to another, taking money, and then the money is shared among them," Mitra, a resident of Bhawanipore, claimed.c?