San Diego
A doctor pleaded not guilty in Municipal Court Wednesday to charges that he raped five women patients.
Dr. Arvind Sinha, 36, of San Diego, was taken into custody after the arraignment. Bail was increased from $50,000 to $175,000.
Sinha was charged earlier this week with raping one patient, and bail was set by San Diego Municipal Court Judge David Danielsen at $50,000. On Wednesday, the district attorney’s office filed charges to include four more alleged victims.
The doctor practiced at a facility known as NavCare on Murphy Canyon Road. His attorney, Gerald Blank, told the judge that his client is not practicing now because of the charges.
Blank opposed the bail increase, saying the doctor is a legal permanent resident of the United States, owns property here and has substantial local ties.
Deputy Dist. Atty. August Meyer said the doctor is from India and is a flight risk. He said the doctor’s career is over if he is convicted of the charges. Meyer described his case as “very strong.”
According to court records, the first count involves rape with a foreign object on Jan. 10, 1989. The last alleged incident occurred last week on a woman who was unconscious at the time.
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