Patient’s attendant dies of ‘drug overdose’ in Ludhiana

7-year-old Payal resident was lying unconscious in DMCH bathroom, dies during treatment

A 27-year-old attendant of a patient died of a suspected drug overdose after being found unconscious in a bathroom of the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) late on Wednesday.

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A sanitation worker of the hospital was the first to see the victim, Manvinder Singh of Ghalauti village of Payal in Ludhiana, lying on the bathroom floor unconscious, following which he raised an alarm. Manvinder was rushed to the emergency ward, but died during treatment.

The hospital staff said a resident of Ghalauti was admitted to the medical ward on the second floor of the hospital following some illness, and Manvinder, his neighbour, had come to attend him on Wednesday. The staff said Manvinder went to the bathroom at night but did not return.

On being informed, the Division Number 8 police reached the spot and initiated investigation. The police found syringes from the bathroom. The body has been handed over to the family after conducting a postmortem at the civil hospital. The doctors have sent Manvinder’s viscera to a Kharar laboratory for the confirmation of drugs.

Division Number 8 station house officer (SHO) inspector Gurmeet Singh said, “We are suspecting it to be a case of drug overdose. The police have initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) following the statement of Manvinder’s family.” The police have been scanning the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed in the hospital to know from where Manvinder procured the drugs, the SHO said.