The Azad Maidan police registered an offence after a 46-year-old COVID19 patient escaped from ambulance while being taken to hospital. While on his way to G T hospital, the patient request the ambulance driver to stop for toilet break however as the drive stopped his vehicles the patient alighted and ran away.
According to the police, the patient a resident of Sewri was quarantined at a hotel in Sion after he was returned from Dubai in the last week of March. According to the officials, he was carrying a negative report however as per the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) protocol, it was mandatory for people coming from abroad to get quarantined for seven days after their arrival. Seven days later they are tested for COVID19.
Seven days later he underwent testing and subsequently tested positive for COVID19, the BMC officials then sent an ambulance to shift him to G T hospital. On Sunday evening ambulance driver Baba Abdul Razaq Shaikh, 39 reached Pearl View Hotel near Sion railway station where he was quarantined in order to take the patient to G T hospital near Crawford Market.
Shaikh received him and after loading his belonging they proceeded towards G T hospital. As the ambulance reached D N Road near Crawford Market, the patient requested Shaikh to stop the vehicle on the pretext of toilet break. As he stopped the ambulance the patient alighted and started running towards the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. Shaikh tried to chase him but as his ambulance was left open in the middle of the road he could not chase for long, said police.
The driver informed the BMC officials which advised him to report to the nearest police station. We have registered an offence under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) section for disobeying a public servant’s order (188), negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life (269) along with the relevant sections for Epidemic act, and hunt for the patient is underway said police.
