Dr Satya Gupta, who earned 270,000 pounds annually, is being investigated by the National Health Service's anti-corruption unit and has been suspended for up to 18 months by the General Medical Council, reports said.

Gupta raised suspicion after making huge profits from a practice in one of Britain's poorest inner city areas -- Hackney in north-east London, the Daily Mail reported.

His earnings were linked to a scheme that pays family doctors for accruing points for hitting targets, such as measuring blood pressure, giving vaccinations and carrying out cholesterol checks.

But his points total for 2006-07 has been slashed from 884.62 out of a possible 1,000, to 798.62 following an audit, giving him the second lowest score for a practice in his area.

Ways of over-inflating scores could include claiming that patients have had checks or treatments when they haven't.

This discrepancy is being investigated by the NHS Business Service Authority's counter-fraud team, which in recent years has prosecuted more than 400 doctors, dentists and other health workers for financial irregularities.