The police on Monday arrested Narendra Yadav, the man accused of posing as a British cardiologist and performing fake heart surgeries at Damoh’s Christian Mission Hospital. Yadav, who assumed the identity of Dr N John Kem, was tracked down and detained from a flat in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, where he was hiding with an associate.
The arrest comes weeks after shocking revelations emerged that Yadav, using forged medical degrees, had conducted fraudulent angiography and angioplasty procedures at the hospital. While the case has drawn widespread attention, authorities have yet to take any legal action against the hospital’s director or management, raising serious questions about accountability.
Damoh SP Shruitkirti Somwanshi confirmed that Yadav and his associate are being brought back to Damoh for further interrogation. A search of the Prayagraj flat led to the seizure of several documents, some of which are believed to be connected to the ongoing investigation. An FIR was registered late Sunday night under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery), and 468 (forgery for cheating), based on forged documents used by Yadav.
Yadav, a resident of Uttarakhand, had been impersonating Dr. N. John Kem, a real UK-based cardiologist. He was allegedly hired by the hospital through a recruitment agency that has now gone off the radar. Efforts are underway to trace the agency and determine how such a serious lapse in verification occurred.
The scandal deepened further when officials from a hospital in Narsinghpur informed the Damoh Collector that Yadav had previously worked with them as well. Relevant documents are being sent to police for review.
At the heart of the controversy is the death of seven patients who were reportedly operated on by Yadav. These cases are currently under scrutiny, and Damoh police have said a separate case will be registered once a report is received from the Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO).
Despite the gravity of the situation, no FIR has been lodged against Christian Mission Hospital’s director Dr. Ajay Lal or other members of the management. This has drawn criticism from the complainants, especially Advocate Deepak Tiwari, who filed the original complaint. “The FIR only targets the fake doctor, while the hospital administration, which allowed this fraud to continue, remains untouched. It’s clear they are being shielded,” he said.
Tiwari also pointed out the delay in registering the FIR—nearly a month and a half after his initial complaint—and alleged that the authorities only acted after the matter gained media traction.
As investigations continue, public pressure is mounting on authorities to hold not just the impersonator, but also the hospital leadership accountable for what many believe to be a case of institutional negligence.
