Delco doctor charged with molesting two female patients
UPPER DARBY » A physician has been charged with allegedly fondling two female patients at his office on Long Lane, and authorities now are concerned that there may be other victims.
Dr. Brij Behari Srivastava, 82, of the 900 block of Waters Edge in Upper Providence, surrendered Tuesday morning on two counts of indecent assault, a second-degree misdemeanor offense, according to township Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood and online court records.
Srivastava, who was accompanied by his wife and defense attorney, was later released after posting 10 percent of $50,000 bail.
“He was notified Friday that we had a warrant for him,” Chitwood said Tuesday afternoon.
“He definitely denies the charges and we are starting our investigation now,” defense attorney John Neumann Hickey said Tuesday evening.
The charges against Srivastava stem from incidents that allegedly occurred at his office, Long Lane Medical Center, at 434 Long Lane. An internist, Srivastava also has affiliations with Delaware County Memorial Hospital in Upper Darby and Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby Borough, according to an online profile.
The first incident involved a 26-year-old Philadelphia woman. She arrived at the medical office on the morning of July 3 for a routine physical examination.
“He takes her into his private exam room, by himself,” Chitwood said. “He moves his hand up under her shirt, touching her breast over her bra.”
Srivastava, Chitwood said citing reports, then commented about being surprised by the size of the woman’s breasts.
“He tried to move his hand under her bra, and she pushed him away,” Chitwood said. “According to the woman, he was fondling her more than examining her.”
Because it was the Fourth of July holiday, Chitwood said the woman waited until July 6 to file a police report.
The second incident occurred Nov. 1 and involved a 52-year-old Yeadon woman.
According to Chitwood, the woman had been to see Srivastava on Oct. 13, at which time he gave her a prescription for a mammogram. Srivastava then called the woman Sunday night, Oct. 29.
“He calls and asks her to come to see him,” Chitwood said.
Though the woman told authorities she didn’t understand why the doctor wanted to see her, she indicated that she couldn’t come to the office until Tuesday, Oct. 31.
According to Chitwood, the woman showed up at the office on Nov. 1.
At that time, Chitwood said, Srivastava took the woman into the exam room and reportedly asked her if she had made the appointment for a mammogram. The woman indicated that she was in the process of scheduling the appointment.
“He asked her to stand in place and to put her arms out, which she did,” Chitwood said.
At that point, Srivastava allegedly slipped his hand up under her blouse and “grabbed and squeezed her breast,” Chitwood said.
He then allegedly leaned in and whispered, “I like this,” in the woman’s ear, Chitwood said.
The Yeadon woman pushed the physician away. As she left the office, Chitwood said she told a nurse, “Your doctor’s got a problem.”
The woman notified police a short time later.
According to Chitwood, the first incident was still an open investigation when the second incident was reported.
“Obviously, we are concerned. Are there other victims out there?” Chitwood said.
According to the state licensing system, Srivastava’s license is currently active. His license, which was issued in 1986, was last renewed Dec. 5, 2016, and expires Dec. 31, 2018.
Srivastava has been previously disciplined for failure to pay a required CAT Fund emergency surcharge in 1996, which resulted in a suspension of his medical license for a year and a $1,000 fine, according to state records. The surcharge is a requirement of the Health Care Services Malpractice Act, which establishes a statewide system to ensure that funds are available to the victims of medical malpractice in the Commonwealth.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Upper Darby police at 610-7347693.
Srivastava’s preliminary hearing is listed for Dec. 1 before Magisterial District Judge Christopher R. Mattox.