A 22-year-old woman, who was recovering after giving birth to a baby girl on Saturday, was allegedly sexually assaulted in a private hospital’s intensive care unit at Bahadurgarh in Haryana’s Jhajjar district.
Police has launched raids in Bahadurgarh and its neighbouring areas to nab the accused whose movements were captured on CCTV cameras installed at the hospital.
“The 22-year-old woman, a policeman’s wife was shifted to ICU after a caesarean delivery around 1 am. Around 3.30 am, a man came into the ICU in a doctor’s attire,” Jhajjar SP, Sumit Kumar told the mediapersons.
“The victim first thought a doctor was examining her. Realising that something was not right, the woman objected, after which he walked away,” he said.
He added that the pictures of the accused had been captured by CCTV cameras as he is seen walking in the hospital’s corridors and parking area.
“According to the clues we have obtained from the footage, he had come in a Hyundai Elantra car. We are hopeful of arresting him soon. We are questioning the hospital authorities to establish how a man managed to walk inside the hospital ICU and commit the crime without anyone coming to know about it,” he said.
The SP added that though their priority is to arrest the accused, action will be initiated against hospital staff and security as well if negligence on their part is found.
The same man allegedly then went to a second hospital in the neighbourhood and made a similar attempt on another woman in the ICU. The woman, however, woke up and raised an alarm, after which the man ran away. The accused has been caught on camera footage in the second hospital too.
The police have seized footage from both hospitals and have launched a search operation.
A doctor at the first hospital commented that the man walked confidently, “as if he knew a patient there.” A relative of the woman who was allegedly sexually assaulted said that no one responded to her screams.
Meanwhile, Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij said that police had been directed to take swift action in the matter.
“Stern action will be taken against the accused as per law. Police is already on the job and the accused will be nabbed soon,” Vij said.
Bahadurgarh DSP Ajit Singh said a case under Section 376 (rape) of the IPC and other relevant provisions has been registered against the unidentified accused.