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Panchkula: 23-year-old woman on theft spree at private hospitals lands in police net
The accused, identified as Ruchika Nanda of Delhi, was apprehended by the alert staff of a private hospital in Panchkula’s Sector 22, where she had entered looking for another opportunity after stealing a doctor’s laptop from another hospital in Sector 26
A 23-year-old BCom graduate, who had been committing thefts in private hospitals, mainly targeting the valuables of doctors and staff, has landed in police net.
The accused, identified as Ruchika Nanda of Delhi, was apprehended by the alert staff of a private hospital in Panchkula’s Sector 22, where she had entered looking for another opportunity after stealing a doctor’s laptop from another hospital in Sector 26.
A police official, privy to the investigation, said, “The accused started committing thefts in hospitals around 18 months ago, targeting doctors and staff, but has been caught for first time.”
Police said she was the only child of her parents. After her mother passed away and her father abandoned her, she was thrown out of her ancestral house in Delhi by her relatives.
“For survival, she turned to crime. She told police that she had first stolen a doctor’s bag, containing ₹10,000 in cash, from a private hospital in Gurgaon, Haryana,” said the official.
During preliminary questioning, she said she had committed thefts in 20-25 hospitals in Delhi and Gurgaon, and for the first time had come to tricity. So far, police have found five FIRs registered against her. “She said she had committed theft at Fortis Hospital in Mohali as well and the police station concerned has been informed,” the police official added.
After the accused stole a laptop of a doctor from a private hospital in Panchkula on Saturday, a complaint was filed by Deepak Dhiman, AGM operation, Ojas Hospital, a unit of Alchemist Hospital Limited.
The complainant said around 2.30 pm, a bag, containing a laptop and other valuables, belonging to gastroenterologist Dr Pankaj Kapoor was stolen from the OPD on the first floor of the hospital. Following the complaint, a case under Section 380 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered at Chandimandir police station.
The laptop and other items were recovered from the possession of the accused. She was produced before a district court in Panchkula on Saturday and sent to judicial custody.
Caught by hospital staff
After stealing a laptop from Ojas Hospital, Sector 26, on Saturday, the accused went to Paras Hospital, Sector 22, where she was apprehended after staff got suspicious.
The hospital’s chief security officer Harpreet Singh, in his complaint, told police that they had got information about a female committing thefts in hospitals, so information was shared with the staff to stay alert.
He said a woman entered the hospital at 2.40 pm on Saturday.
The female guard got suspicious of her and informed the senior following which the staff apprehended her, and recovered stolen items from her possession. The woman told them that she had come for theft. Police were informed and the woman was handed over to police. A case under Sections 380 and 511 of the Indian Penal Code was registered.
