Daijiworld Media Network - Lalitpur

Lalitpur, Dec 14: In a startling case of identity fraud, a 57-year-old man was arrested for allegedly working as a cardiologist for nearly three years at the Autonomous Government Medical College in Uttar Pradesh’s Lalitpur despite not being a qualified doctor.

The accused, identified as Abhinav Singh, is accused of misusing the identity and medical degrees of his US-based brother-in-law to secure the post. The fraud came to light after a complaint was filed by his own sister.

Police said Abhinav was arrested on Friday and produced before a court, which remanded him to judicial custody, according to Circle Officer Ajay Kumar. He had been working on a contractual basis as a Specialist in Cardiology and General Medicine under the National Health Mission (NHM) scheme since 2022.

Investigations revealed that Abhinav allegedly used the educational documents of his brother-in-law, Dr Rajeev Gupta, a cardiologist based in Texas for nearly two decades. The complaint was lodged by Dr Gupta’s wife, Dr Sonali Singh, who informed the medical college authorities that her brother had fraudulently obtained the job using her husband’s credentials.

Following an internal inquiry, an FIR was registered at Kotwali police station in Lalitpur on the complaint of Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ram Naresh Soni, invoking charges of cheating, fraud and other related offences.

Medical college principal Dr Mayank Shukla said a three-member committee was formed to verify the allegations after Dr Sonali visited the college. “We will also examine the recovery of the remuneration he received during his tenure,” he said, adding that the accused had been posted at the Cardiac Care Unit but was assigned only routine monitoring duties and not critical procedures.

In the wake of the incident, the college has decided to verify the educational credentials of all staff members.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Imtiyaz Ahmed said suspicions initially arose when the accused resigned on December 9, citing his mother’s death, which later turned out to be false. The resignation letter had been submitted to the CMO’s office.

Police further revealed that Abhinav had a criminal past. He had earlier claimed to be a computer science engineering graduate from an IIT and had joined the Customs Department as an officer in Mumbai. In 1999, a corruption case was registered against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act, after which he absconded.

He was arrested by the CBI in 2019 in Mathura and sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment with a fine of Rs 8 lakh. After his release in 2020, he allegedly forged medical documents in his brother-in-law’s name and later applied for the cardiology post in Lalitpur, clearing the interview by studying medical textbooks.

Superintendent of Police Mohammad Mustaque said police would seek custody remand for further investigation. He added that the accused had also obtained an arms licence using a false identity and a separate case would be registered in this connection.