Man gets himself admitted to hospital in Munger to steal

PATNA: A 35-year-old “thief” treated himself to over half-a-dozen mobile phones and cash from patients, attendants and paramedics, after getting himself admitted to a government hospital in Munger two weeks ago.

But Pradip Yadav’s luck ran out on Wednesday, when an auxiliary nurse midwife who was on night duty at the Sadar Hospital, caught him red-handed taking out her cell phone from her handbag.

It was around 3 am when she spotted Yadav taking out the cell phone and raised an alarm. Police constable Vikas Kumar posted at the hospital rushed to the surgical ward hearing her cries. A search of Yadav’s bag yielded Rs 4,700 in cash and half a dozen mobile phones.

The nurse, however, has refused to lodge a formal complaint with the police. “I am very happy that I have got my cell phone back. That’s all I wanted,” she said requesting anonymity.

“The incident came to my notice yesterday. I couldn’t pay much attention to it as I was busy, but I have been told that the stolen cell phones were returned to the real owners,” deputy superintendent of Munger Sadar hospital Sudhir Kumar said on Thursday.

Kumar, however, admitted the lapse that Yadav had got admitted to the hospital on the pretext of suffering from tuberculosis. “We have stepped up security in the hospital, especially during night, after the incident came to light on Wednesday. Such thieves are on the radar of hospital employees now,” Kumar added.

Additional SHO of Munger town police station Mritunjay Kumar said the man has been detained for interrogation. However, nobody from the hospital has lodged any complaint against Yadav, who is a resident of Munger. If any written complaint is received, the police will send him to judicial custody on charges of committing theft, Kumar added.

Muntunjay said it the modus operandi was novel. “I have never heard of such a novel modus operandi of any criminal in my 20 years of service as a police officer. The antecedents of Yadav are also being verified,” the SHO said.

Munger civil surgeon Dr. Purusottam Kumar said, “The deputy superintendent and other officials of the Sadar hospital are taking necessary steps in this regard. They informed me about the incident as a precautionary measure.”