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Three ambulances drivers in custody for bringing patients to Apexcare hospital
Three ambulance drivers were remanded to police custody on Thursday by the Sangli police in the case of causing death of 87 people in 42 days of the second wave at Apexcare hospital in Miraj
Three ambulance drivers were remanded to police custody on Thursday by the Sangli police in the case of causing death of 87 people in 42 days of the second wave at Apexcare hospital in Miraj. Meanwhile, the two doctor siblings - Dr Mahesh Jadhav, a plastic surgeon, the main accused in the case and his elder brother Dr Madan Jadhav, a neurosurgeon, were remanded to judicial custody.
The police have also seized vehicles of these ambulance drivers as a local court remanded them to police custody till July 4.
The three people newly arrested in the case were identified as Yunus Ilahi Mujawar (39), a resident of Ganeshnagar in Sangli; Sachin Arun Chandane (37), a resident of Old Medshingi road area of Sangola; and Viren Ulhas Awade (32), a resident of Bethlehem nagar in Miraj, according to the police.
Sachin Chandane was cited by relatives of more than two victims of the hospital, to Hindustan Times, as the driver who took patients to Apexcare hospital voluntarily. Two patients who cited him as the person who suggested and took their relative to Apexcare were from Bhose village in Sangola area of Solapur.
“We had found a diary in possession of one of the accused in which there were payment details and names of some drivers. Our suspicion is that the drivers got commission for each of the patient that they brought to the hospital,” said senior police inspector Shashikant Chavan of Gandhi Chowk police station where the case is registered.
The police had called a group of ambulance drivers to the police station on Monday for questioning and recorded their names and numbers.
Explaining the trick of the trade, __, said, “Whenever a new hospital is started, the PRO (public relations officer) of the hospital goes to groups of ambulance drivers and offers them perks in exchange of bringing
patients to their hospital. For all we know, the names, in the diary that was found, would have just been noted down, without the drivers’ knowledge, for reference for such activities.”
__ is an ambulance driver who was among the 15-20 drivers who were called for questioning.
However, statements of multiple witnesses point towards clear involvement of ambulance drivers in the matter, to earn commission from the hospital.
Senior PI Chavan reiterated his point, saying, “This could have been passed off as a case of medical negligence and registered as a case of causing death due to negligence (Section 304(a) of IPC) which is a bailable offence. But this is not such a case. There was no treatment given at all. They only wanted to make money.”
So far, 13 people including the ambulance drivers, have been arrested in the case registered at Mahatma Gandhi police station in Miraj under Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder); 420 (cheating); 406 (criminal breach of trust); 425, 427, 465, 470, 471 (using forged document as genuine); 201 (destruction of evidence); 380, 34 (common intention), and 120(b) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) along with Section 51(b) of the National Disaster Management Act, 2005.
