A man who allegedly posed as a heart specialist and conducted over 50 surgeries at a government hospital in Faridabad has been booked for multiple offences including forgery, impersonation, and causing death by negligence.
Identified as Dr Pankaj Mohan Sharma, the accused reportedly held only an MBBS degree but used fake qualifications to present himself as a cardiologist at a private heart centre operating inside Badshah Khan Government Hospital.
Sharma allegedly forged credentials, prescribed high-risk treatment, and signed off medical documents under the title “MD, DNB (Cardiology)” during his eight-month tenure.
The heart centre, linked to a Kerala-based hospital chain, was shut down in February for compliance violations — but by then, the damage was done.
An FIR was registered Tuesday by SGM Nagar police, nearly two months after local advocate Sanjay Gupta filed a detailed complaint.
The FIR invokes provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) related to criminal conspiracy, endangering life, and impersonation, and cites the “untimely death of many patients” due to Sharma’s fraudulent practice.
Investigators say Sharma even served as Managing Director of a film production company, further casting doubts on his medical background.
His deception came to light only after sustained complaints — some filed directly on the Haryana Chief Minister’s portal and to the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
Hospital authorities initially claimed they were unaware of Sharma’s fake identity. A senior HR official of the Kerala-based chain, also named in the FIR, said Sharma was locally recruited and resigned when asked to submit authentic documents.
“We’ve now centralised all hiring approvals. Police have recorded our statements,” the official said. The hospital chain’s Chairperson and Managing Director have also been booked.
Faridabad’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Jayant Ahuja, declined to comment on the case. Repeated attempts to contact Sharma went unanswered.
Gupta’s complaint also flagged prior concerns about the same heart centre — with three earlier FIRs filed, including one by the Anti-Corruption Bureau for alleged misuse of government funds and another against an unqualified technician posing as a cardiac expert.
This case echoes another chilling episode reported from Damoh, Madhya Pradesh, in April, where Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav posed as renowned UK cardiologist Dr John Camm and performed surgeries for over a decade, resulting in multiple deaths before his arrest.
The Faridabad case has reignited urgent concerns over the gaping holes in India’s private healthcare vetting systems — and the devastating consequences of letting unqualified hands into operating rooms.
