A man posing as a doctor has been arrested in India after performing surgeries that allegedly led to the deaths of seven patients. The individual, identified as Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav, also known as Dr. N John Camm, worked as a cardiologist at a missionary hospital in Madhya Pradesh state. He faces charges of fraud, cheating, and forgery, with accusations that he falsified his medical qualifications to gain credibility.
Yadav, 53, had been working as a doctor for nearly two decades. However, investigations revealed that his medical degrees were likely fake. He is suspected of having forged key details on his credentials, such as the unique registration number typically assigned to each medical student. Furthermore, he allegedly added the name of Prof. John Camm, a renowned British cardiologist, to his own to bolster his reputation.
Despite these allegations, Yadav maintained his innocence. On the day of his arrest, he sent a legal notice demanding a sum of 50 million rupees ($5.82 million) from individuals and media outlets who had reported on his impersonation. The Mission Hospital where he had worked briefly stated that they were unaware of his fraudulent credentials and described him as a competent professional who had earned the trust of the staff.
The case came to light earlier this year when a child welfare committee in Damoh raised concerns about several patient deaths linked to Yadav’s surgeries. After reviewing his background, it was discovered that he had a history of legal issues in multiple states, prompting further scrutiny. At that point, Yadav had already left his position at the hospital without explanation, and a search for him began.
The investigation found that Yadav had performed 64 procedures, including 45 angioplasties, with seven resulting in patient fatalities. Local police have expressed doubts about the authenticity of his qualifications, citing missing information and inconsistencies in the documents.
Yadav’s identity has been under suspicion for several years. In a blog post from 2019, he claimed to have trained in the UK under Prof. A John Camm and alleged that he had worked as an interventional cardiologist at St George’s Hospital in London since 2002. He also stated that he had worked at prominent hospitals in India, the US, Germany, and Spain. Additionally, Yadav made claims in 2021 about developing a large medical research institute in Rajasthan, under the banner of the “John Camm Institute of Medical Sciences and Research,” further bolstering his false persona.
Public records, however, show that Yadav had registered four companies in the UK under the name Dr. Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav in 2018. He later changed the name of these companies to Dr. Narendra John Camm. In 2023, a fact-checker in India raised concerns about his credentials after he allegedly created a social media account impersonating Prof. Camm, which went viral. The real Prof. Camm issued a statement clarifying that he was not behind the account.
Yadav has been linked to other legal issues as well. In 2019, he was arrested for allegedly abducting a British doctor he had invited to work with him at a hospital in Hyderabad. He was also banned for five years by India’s medical regulators in 2014 due to professional misconduct. In 2013, he faced charges of fraud and cheating in Uttar Pradesh, though the court eventually stayed the complaint.
The arrest of Yadav has raised concerns about the regulation of medical professionals in India, highlighting the potential dangers posed by unqualified individuals impersonating doctors. As the investigation continues, authorities are working to uncover the full extent of his activities and the impact of his fraudulent actions on the patients he treated.
