14 May,2019 07:01 AM IST | Mumbai | Anurag Kamble
Security has been beefed up at Sion hospital in the last few years following frequent assaults on doctors by relatives of patients. File pic
Despite security provided by two separate agencies at Sion hospital, a 37-year-old woman, who is HIV positive, was allegedly raped in the middle of the day on the hospital's terrace on Friday. The accused had somehow managed to slip past the security personnel - guards of the Maharashtra Security Force and BMC security - and approached the woman posing as a ward boy from the hospital.
As soon as the woman filed a complaint at Sion police station, the cops arrested the 31-year-old within 24 hours. Surprisingly, when mid-day got in touch with the dean Dr Jayashree Mondkar for her comment on Monday, she was clueless about the horrific incident on her hospital premises three days ago. "I am not aware of such an incident, and will look into it," she said.
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Guards of the Maharashtra Security Force and BMC security man the Sion hospital premises at all times. File pic
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The woman, who hails from Pune, had come to Sion Hospital for the treatment of her sister who has a kidney ailment. On Friday noon, while she was sitting outside the ward, the man approached her. "He pretended to be a ward boy and spoke to her in Marathi. He asked her if she was facing any problems with medical expenses, to which the woman said she was," said an officer from Sion police station.
"He told the woman that he knew the doctors and the administration who could waive off the bills if she accompanied him. The woman went along with the man who took her to the top floor of the building," the officer added. When the woman reached the terrace, the man allegedly grabbed her and then forced himself on her. The woman said she tried hard to push him off, but she was overpowered by him. After raping the woman, the man ran away. The devastated woman went downstairs and told a security official about what had happened.
Also Read: Mumbai Crime: 55-year old doctor rapes model in Versova; arrested
Dr Jayashree Mondkar
"The incident took place around 1pm, after which security officials and the woman looked for the man around the hospital. After not finding the man, the woman went to the police station around 7pm and registered a complaint," said another officer. As soon as the complaint was registered, the cops started investigating and got CCTV grabs of the suspect. Sion hospital authorities said a medical test was conducted on the woman the same day, which confirmed rape.
"We arrested the accused within 24 hours of registration of the incident. He is booked under IPC 376 (rape) and is now in judicial custody," a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity. The accused is a resident of Dharavi and works as a sweeper and does odd jobs in the area. He claimed he was drunk at the time of the crime. The hospital had beefed up security on the premises following consistent attacks on resident doctors by patients' relatives.
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