LALITPUR: Abhinav Singh, who posed as a cardiologist for nearly three years at a government medical college, has been arrested after it was found that he had no recognised medical qualification and secured the post using his brother-in-law’s credentials.
The accused was presented before a court following a medical examination and has been sent to seven days’ judicial custody. Investigators say Singh treated thousands of patients, admitted critical cardiac cases to the CCU, and took key clinical decisions while falsely presenting himself as a heart specialist.
40–45 OPD patients daily, critical admissions to CCU
According to departmental records, Abhinav Singh was posted in the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Cell of Lalitpur Medical College under the National Health Mission. He handled 40 to 45 outpatients daily and admitted 30 to 40 critical cardiac patients every month to the Coronary Care Unit. Over a three-year period:
- Nearly 36,000 patients were treated in OPD
- Around 1,000 to 1,100 patients were admitted to CCU
- More than 450 patients were referred to higher centres
All this treatment was administered by an individual who neither possessed a medical degree nor any authorised clinical training.
Failure of supervision and verification
What has alarmed authorities further is the fact that neither hospital officials nor senior doctors detected the fraud for years. Despite repeated instances of absence during on-call duty, no comprehensive verification was initiated.
Officials now admit that serious lapses occurred in credential verification and internal monitoring, allowing the accused to continue unchecked under the assumption that he was the sole cardiology specialist available.
Participation in VIP medical duties
Singh’s role extended beyond routine hospital work. He was also included in medical teams assigned for visiting senior officials and public representatives. Officials said it was sheer chance that no cardiac emergency arose during VIP duties, as delayed or incorrect intervention could have resulted in grave consequences.
Fake documents seized
Police recovered multiple documents from the accused, including:
- DMC certificate
- Papers linked to the Madhya Pradesh Medical Council
- Aadhaar and voter ID copies in the name of Dr Rajeev Gupta
- Documents related to medical practice
Preliminary scrutiny suggests the documents were either forged or misused.
Planned impersonation after release from jail
During interrogation, Singh admitted that he was released from jail in July 2020. Soon after, recruitment under NHM was initiated at the state medical college. He studied medical textbooks extensively and appeared for the interview using his brother-in-law Dr Rajeev Gupta’s academic credentials, along with his own photograph and identity proof.
By demonstrating limited medical knowledge and terminology, he cleared the selection process and was appointed as a CCU specialist, displaying a fake nameplate identifying himself as “Dr Rajeev Gupta, MD (Medicine), Cardiology Specialist”.
Earlier conviction in corruption case
Singh’s criminal background has also come to light. He was previously employed with the Customs Department and faced charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act in 1999. In 2019, the CBI arrested him from Mathura, and a court sentenced him to 16 months’ imprisonment along with a fine of ₹8 lakh. He was released in July 2020.
Complaint from within the family
The fraud came to light following a complaint by Singh’s sister, Dr Sonali Singh, who clarified that there was no land dispute involved. She stated that once she became aware that her husband’s medical degree was being misused, she lodged a complaint on humanitarian grounds.
Demand for CBI probe and compensation
The case has triggered demands for a CBI investigation. A petition submitted to the National Human Rights Commission termed the incident a gross violation of patients’ rights, noting that critical care was provided by an unqualified individual.
The Aam Aadmi Party has also demanded district-wide verification of doctors’ degrees and implementation of a barcode-based authentication system. The Lalitpur case stands as a stark reminder of how institutional lapses and weak verification mechanisms can endanger public health, turning a single act of impersonation into a systemic failure.
