Fake cardiologist’ arrested with allegations of 7 deaths, authentic Dr Camm from UK admits scam has been on for 5 years
On Tuesday, Yadav was remanded to five days police custody after he was produced before a local court.
Years since a Twitter account in his name and writing on controversial political topics vanished, Dr John Camm, a British cardiologist and professor of clinical cardiology at St George’s University of London, believed the worst was over.
Even though the Twitter handle was suspended, the impersonator has now found himself in the police dragnet as policemen in Madhya Pradesh start investigation into the history of “Dr Narendra John Camm“, accused of doctoring his medical certificates and securing a job at Mission Hospital in Damoh. The Child Welfare Committee has red-flagged claims that at least seven patients died under his care, and police are investigating whether Narendra John Camm is, in fact, an individual named Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav, who allegedly stole the identity of the UK-based cardiologist.
Dr Camm, whose name the accused supposedly stole, said in an interview with The Indian Express, “The identity theft first arose some 5 years ago — at least to my knowledge. It was quite unsettling. He asserted at different times to be me and to have been trained by me at St George’s Hospital in London.”
During that time, Yadav is accused of creating a Twitter account in the name of Dr Camm and tweeting that India should send Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to manage the riots in France. The tweet caught momentum once it was retweeted by the CM’s handle and read: “Whenever riot is caused by extremism, there prevails a law and order situation and there prevails a sense of chaos where the entire world looks up and wishes for the revolutionary ‘Yogi Model’ of Law and Order made in Uttar Pradesh by Maharaj Ji.”
But some Indian cardiologists cast aspersions on the truth of the account and were prompt to red flag it. “I found that there was not much that I could do regarding it, but younger colleagues, who were Internet-savvy and active on social media, did their best. Indian doctors and cardiologists soon rumbled that this fellow has nothing to do with me and tried to ‘shut him down,'” Dr Camm said.
He mentioned that “all went relatively quiet and I thought that they had been successful”.
Dr Camm on the Madhya Pradesh police investigation, he added, “Your news distresses me and doubtless a great deal more to the family members of patients who endured a this hands, especially if he achieved some credit/notoriety/expertise by his untrue claims.”
An FIR was lodged on April 5 after Chief Health Medical Officer of the local area Dr M K Jain approached the police saying that Yadav carried out angiography and angioplasty at the hospital without having the necessary registration. Yadav was picked up from Prayagraj Monday night and produced in the local court.
On Tuesday, Yadav was remanded to five days police custody after he was produced before a local court. “The accused has informed us that he was residing in Kanpur. Some of his documents were of Uttrakhand and he says his wife belonged to that state,” said a police officer.
Police are also attempting to confirm his assertions that he has carried out multiple medical procedures. “All of his certificates are not original. If he had performed these medical procedures, they are all against the law. We are contacting all the hospitals that he might have been associated with,” the officer added.
