Thane hospital staff held for molesting 14-year-old in ICU

The accused allegedly tied the girl’s hands and tried to touch her inappropriately, when she was asleep. A patient on the next bed witnessed the act and raised an alarm, following which the hospital staff nabbed him.

A 35-year-old man, who worked as a sweeper in the civic-run Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Kalwa, was arrested on Sunday for allegedly molesting a 14-year-old patient in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Police said the teenager who was molested was epileptic and was admitted to the ICU for treatment. (File)

The accused allegedly tied the girl’s hands and tried to touch her inappropriately, when she was asleep. A patient on the next bed witnessed the act and raised an alarm, following which the hospital staff nabbed him.

Police said the teenager was epileptic and was admitted to the ICU for treatment.

TS Pavle, police inspector, Kalwa police station, said, “There were 18 other patients in the ICU. The incident occurred on Saturday, around 1.00am, when the nurse went out to get an injection, and there was no staff in the ICU. The accused, Dinesh Koli, entered the ward on the pretext of sweeping it. He allegedly tied the girl’s hands and tried to touch her inappropriately.”

When the patient on the next bed raised an alarm, Koli threatened her. Hearing her screams, the girl woke up and raised an alarm.

“After hearing the screams, the nurse along with the security guards immediately rushed to the ICU and nabbed Koli. The hospital registered a case with us next evening, following which we immediately arrested Koli under section 354 of Indian Penal Code for outraging the modesty of a woman,” he added.

The girl’s parents claimed that the accused might have raped their daughter had the other patient not raised an alarm. Her father said, “The accused might have assaulted her if the other patient would have not raised an alarm. The accused apologised to my wife after being caught. We are poor and cannot afford our daughter’s treatment in a private hospital. However, this incident has shocked us about the safety at civic hospitals.”

The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) refuted claims of security lapse.

Sandeep Malvi, deputy municipal commissioner, TMC, said, “We terminated Koli immediately and have also lodged a complaint against him at Kalwa police station. There are no lapses in our security. We have adequate security to ensure the safety of the patients.”

This is a second time that such an incident has taken place in the hospital. Last December, a 25-year-old woman was molested when she was breast-feeding her baby in the hospital.