Jalgaon (Maharashtra): In a shocking incident, an 82-year-old woman from Bhusaval was found dead inside the hospital she had gone missing from. The old woman had gone missing for the last eight days. She was found dead inside the toilet, police said Wednesday. The Jalgaon Civil Hospital (JCH) authorities and the family of the woman had informed police that she went missing June 2.
“Thereafter, we made full inquiries in Bhusaval, checked all patient registers in the presence of the relatives, scanned CCTV footage. Then we registered a missing complaint June 6,” said Akbar Patel, senior inspector at the Zillapeth police station here.
The woman had tested Covid-19 positive May 27. She had been admitted to another hospital before she was shifted to the JCH. Police teams visited all places to investigate, said Patel.
The JCH authorities confirmed that she was seen in the ward till June 2. After which the whereabouts of the woman were not known.
“Finally today (Wednesday), there was some foul smell emanating from one of the toilets in the hospital. We found the woman’s body there. We have informed the family accordingly,” Patel said.
In a video message, the woman’s distraught grandson has appealed to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to order a probe into the incident. He has requested the CM to punish those found negligent or guilty.
This is the second recorded case of a ‘missing’ COVID-19 patient found dead in the past three days.
Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar ordered Tuesday an inquiry after the body of an 80-year-old male COVID-19 patient was found near the Borivali station. He had apparently been killed in a train mishap. He had gone missing Sunday from the Dr BR Ambedkar Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali.
Maharashtra BJP vice-president Kirit Somaiya has raised the issue and demanded a thorough probe into such incidents.