SAO PAULO (AFP) - A prominent Brazilian fertility doctor who went on the run in 2011 after being sentenced to 278 years in jail for sexually assaulting his patients was captured Tuesday in Paraguay, police said.

Roger Abdelmassih, whose celebrity clients included football legend Pele, was arrested in 2009 over allegations he raped or sexually abused dozens of women patients, sometimes while they were under anaesthetic.

He was convicted in 2010, but was initially allowed to remain free pending appeal.

When a court reversed that decision and ordered his arrest, he fled the country.

He was finally arrested by officers from Paraguay's National Anti-Drugs Secretariat (SENAD) with support from the Brazilian federal police.

Abdelmassih, whose medical licence has been revoked, will now be deported to Brazil, news website G1 reported.