LI doctor accused of offering patient $500 for pain pills

A Patchogue doctor is accused of issuing an oxycodone prescription to a patient and promising to pay her $500 if she brought him the powerful painkillers, authorities said Friday.

Hitesh Narain, 46, an obstetrician-gynecologist, wrote out the prescription for 180 pills on July 17, authorities said.

Narain, who lives in Holtsville, surrendered to Sixth Precinct detectives on July 24. He was arraigned the next day on a fourth-degree conspiracy charge and released on his own recognizance, said Bob Clifford, a spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota.

Calls to Narain's office and home weren't returned Friday.

Narain's attorney, William Keahon of Hauppauge, said there's "no merit" to the charge. "There's no doubt in my mind I'll get the case dismissed," he said.

Narain had knee surgery recently and suffered minor injuries in a car accident about a month ago, but he was not taking oxycodone, Keahon said.

In the past two years, federal and local undercover investigations resulted in the arrests of several Long Island doctors who were charged with selling painkiller prescriptions and pills to users and traffickers.

Pharmacists have been on the watch for fake prescriptions, doctors who issue unusually high numbers of oxycodone prescriptions and customers who try to fill numerous oxycodone prescriptions.

So far, there is "no indication" that Narain is a pain pill trafficker, said Sixth Precinct Det. Lt. Tom O'Heir.

Authorities said the patient approached by Narain did not fill the prescription.

Narain has surrendered his federal license to write prescriptions, authorities said.

A state health department spokesman said there is no record of any disciplinary action against Narain. Records show he was board-certified in his field until this year.