Chandigarh: Over 1,700 doses of COVID-19 vaccine that were stolen from a government hospital in Haryana’s Jind district on Wednesday night were returned. The person who stole the Covid-19 vaccines returned the vials and left a note. The note said that the person did not realise that the vials were coronavirus jabs. Once he realised that he decided to return the doses.
A total of 1,270 doses of Covishield and 440 doses of Covaxin were stolen from the hospital. SHO of Civil Lines police station Rajender Singh said Thursday that the entire amount has been returned.
The matter came to light after a sanitation worker of the hospital found the locks of the store and deep freezer broken Thursday morning.
“The accused did not touch any other vaccine, medicine, cash, etc. In the store,” Singh said.
Later, a man came on a motorcycle and left the vaccines at a tea stall outside the Civil Lines police station. He told people at the stall that the package contained food for a police official at the station, the officer said.
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The thief also left a note in which he expressed regret over stealing the vaccines. He said that he did not know that these were COVID-19 vaccines, the police official informed.
“It is possible that he wanted to steal some other vaccine or drug. He returned what he had stolen after learning that it wasn’t what he was looking for. May be he wanted to turn into a good Samaritan,” Singh pointed out.
A case has been registered in connection with the incident, the official said. “We have got some clues and hope to make an arrest soon,” he said.