Delhi blast: Kerala doctor’s image falsely circulated as accused; police complaint filed

Kozhikode, Kerala: A Kozhikode-based cardiologist has filed a cybercrime complaint after his photograph was widely circulated online as that of an accused in the Delhi blast case, triggering alarm within Kerala’s medical community.

Photo of Kozhikode doctor misused online

The image of cardiologist Dr Arif Mohammed, who works at a leading private hospital in Kozhikode, was taken from his Facebook profile and circulated nationally. Several North Indian media outlets and social media posts wrongly portrayed him as an accused in the Delhi blast case.

Following the incident, Dr Mohammed approached the Kozhikode City Cyber Crime Police, requesting a detailed investigation into the online circulation and its source.

Arrest in Delhi case led to misidentification

In the actual case, Delhi Police had arrested Dr Mohammad Arif, an MD cardiology student at Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College in Kanpur. However, during news updates on the arrest, some media platforms mistakenly used the Kozhikode doctor’s photograph alongside the arrested student's name, creating a false and damaging association.

IMA flags ‘serious mistake’

The Indian Medical Association’s Kozhikode district committee sharply criticised the error.

IMA district president Dr K. Sandhya Kurup and secretary Dr Ranjith P said in a statement that the misidentification amounted to a “serious mistake”.

The organisation has demanded urgent corrective measures to curb the spread of false information and ensure those responsible face legal consequences. It also stressed the neccassary need to protect professionals from similar digital inaccuracies.