This isn’t merely a case of forged paperwork — it raises concerns about the hospital’s internal checks and understanding of state regulatory timelines.
Published Apr 23, 2025 | 9:40 AM ⚊ Updated Apr 23, 2025 | 9:40 AM
Kalapala Bharat Kumar, and Ankura Hospital.
Synopsis: During an inspection at Ankura Hospital in Hyderabad, the Telangana Medical Council found a person practising there with forged medical registration documents. The hospital has since dismissed him, but there have been no developments in the case so far.
In a press release issued on 21 April, the Telangana Medical Council (TGMC) revealed that a surprise inspection at Ankura Hospital in Madinaguda in Hyderabad on 19 March uncovered a startling lapse: A Duty Medical Officer (DMO) was found practicing with forged medical registration documents.
Despite the gravity of the discovery and an FIR being registered soon after, the investigation appears to be moving at a sluggish pace. More than a month later, the police have neither detained the individual nor provided clarity on the progress of the case.
While the hospital has confirmed that the fake doctor has been terminated from service, several pressing questions remain unanswered.
On 19 March, 2025, acting on credible intelligence, the TGMC conducted a surprise inspection at Ankura Hospital in Madinaguda. The inspection team was led by Dr Kadali Vishnu, a TGMC member, accompanied by Vigilance Officers M Ramu and M Rakesh.
What they uncovered was deeply troubling: An individual identified as Kalapala Bharat Kumar was allegedly working as a DMO using a forged medical registration certificate.
According to TGMC, Kumar had been practicing medicine without a valid license — an act that not only violates professional ethics but also endangers patient safety.
The documents he presented were found to be fabricated, and an internal registry check by the Council confirmed that the registration number he was using actually belonged to another doctor.
Speaking to South First, Dr Vishnu explained: “We had received information about him, so along with our vigilance officers, we visited the hospital. We requested the details of all doctors on staff and verified each one. That’s when we came across this individual. The certificate he provided was identical to the one we already knew to be fake. Even the hospital submitted the same forged certificate to us.”
Dr Vishnu added that the man had impersonated another doctor by manipulating official records. “He edited the original certificate of a doctor named Byram Bharath Kumar — changed the name, surname, father’s name, and even the address. His real name is Kalapala Bharat Kumar, but he tried to pass off as Byram Bharat Kumar using altered documents.”
Following the inspection, the TGMC filed a formal complaint with Miyapur Police Station. An FIR (No. 432/2025) was registered on 25 March 2025. The police booked the case against the said Bharat Kumar under sections 319(2), 318(4), 338, 336(3), 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), section 22 of the Telangana Medical Practitioners Registration (TMPR) Act, and section 34 read with section 54 of theNational Medical Commission (NMC) Act which relate to cheating, forgery, and impersonation.
The press note from the TGMC stated that they are still awaiting further updates from the Station House Officer (SHO) handling the case.
According to TGMC officials, the gravity of the situation became even more alarming during the inspection. When asked to furnish both the medical registration certificate and academic degree of Kumar, hospital authorities could only produce the registration certificate — which was already under suspicion. No medical degree or academic records were made available.
“During our inspection, we asked the hospital to show both the registration and degree certificates,” said Dr. Kadali Vishnu of TGMC. “They could only provide the registration certificate, which turned out to be fake. They had no academic records or degree on file.”
This raises a critical question: Is Kumar even a medical graduate?
“As of now, we have no information about his educational background — whether he studied medicine in India or Ukraine. No certificates have been submitted. There’s a complete lack of transparency,” Dr. Vishnu added. “The police have not acted quickly. We’re still waiting for them to take the next steps. He was called in for questioning, but now we’re told he’s in some kind of depression.”
Even more troubling is the discrepancy in the role he was reportedly playing at the hospital.
“He was posing as a pediatrician,” Dr. Vishnu explained. “But the forged certificate only claims an MBBS degree—there’s no indication of a pediatric specialization. In the hospital records, he’s listed as a Duty Medical Officer, but our information suggests he was functioning as a pediatrician. This highlights serious lapses and a disturbing lack of verification.”
In a statement to South First, Ankura Hospital confirmed that Kumar had been terminated from service following the Telangana Medical Council’s complaint and has initiated an internal inquiry.
“Reference the complaint by Telangana Medical Council and subsequent inquiry by our HR Department, Dr. Kalapala Bharat Kumar has been terminated from his services as he submitted fake certificates,” the hospital said in its official response.
“We are fully cooperating with the authorities and will continue to take all necessary steps to support the TMC and Police Department. Ankura Hospital is a responsible and committed healthcare institution that upholds the highest standards of patient safety, ethics, and professional conduct. We follow stringent protocols and a multi-stage verification process for all medical appointments. Patient care and trust are of utmost importance to us.”
However, despite this formal response, a series of critical questions remain unanswered — and they go to the heart of institutional accountability:
Beyond these immediate concerns lies a more troubling revelation: The forged registration certificate submitted by Kumar claims validity from 2016 to 2026 — a ten-year span. This directly contradicts TGMC norms, which clearly state that medical registration is valid for only five years. If the certificate was supposedly valid until 2026, why did no one at the hospital flag this obvious discrepancy?
This isn’t merely a case of forged paperwork — it raises concerns about the hospital’s internal checks and understanding of state regulatory timelines.
Moreover, in late 2022 and early 2023, the TSMC issued a statewide directive mandating re-registration for all practicing doctors. Thousands of practitioners across Telangana complied. Even the original doctor whose credentials were misused, Dr Byram Bharat Kumar, is confirmed to have re-registered in 2023.
Which leads to further pressing questions:
South First has contacted the hospital with these questions but has yet to receive a response.
As the investigation into the fake doctor scandal at Ankura Hospital continues, the police have offered a version of events that raises as many questions as it answers.
According to a police official involved in the case, Kumar — accused of impersonating a licensed medical professional — has claimed that he himself was the victim of fraud.
One of the investigative officers told South First: “He told us he was cheated by a middleman during the medical registration process. He claims to have a medical degree from a foreign university — Ukraine, specifically — but alleges that the forged certificate was given to him without his knowledge. He got to know only after the case came to light”
However, Dr Vishnu asks: “If he really had no idea his registration was fake, why didn’t he come forward and explain this to the Council right away? Why didn’t he file a complaint himself?” the officer questioned.
He claimed he has an MD (Physician) — equivalent to MBBS — certificate from Lugansk State Medical University, Ukraine and an FMG (Foreign Medical Graduate) exam certificate conducted by the Medical Council of India (now National Medical Council). However, the police said: “He claims he has only a copy of the FMG exam certificate, not the original. When asked where it was, he said the middleman handled it all, and he doesn’t have original certificates.”
In a surprising twist, the police have also found a possible personal connection between Kalapala Bharat Kumar and the real doctor whose registration was forged — Dr Byram Bharat Kumar.
“From the information we’ve gathered, they may be friends — possibly old classmates or from the same locality. We’re looking into that angle now,” the officer said.
Yet despite mounting evidence pointing to multiple violations — forgery, impersonation, cheating, and fraud — there has been no arrest so far. Officials cite the accused’s personal circumstances — bereavement, poor mental health, and alleged financial hardship — as reasons for delay.
“He says his father passed away, his mother is bedridden, and his wife has left him. He claims to be under immense stress and depression,” said the officer.
The TGMC official however asked this question to the police “Why hasn’t he been taken into remand yet?. Remand would help get to the bottom of how deep this deception goes — was it one man faking credentials, or is there a network of such cases involving middlemen and lax verification processes?”
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
