Chaos erupted at the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)-run Kamala Nehru Hospital on Wednesday morning. The hospital, situated in Kasba Peth, was evacuated due to security reasons. Following this, police arrived at the scene and took three individuals into custody. Details about the incident were initially scarce until DCP Sandeep Singh Gill provided information at a press conference in the afternoon.
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Speaking to the media, Gill said, "On Tuesday evening, an individual shared a few pictures along with a message on social media. The message stated that some foreigners are staying illegally in India. The message was circulated on WhatsApp groups and was also shared with the police department. On Wednesday morning, three individuals mentioned in the social media post were spotted at the Kamala Nehru Hospital for their health checkups. As the social media post had already reached the people at the hospital, they suspected that these individuals were foreigners staying illegally in India. They informed the police that these individuals were at the hospital. The police immediately reached the spot and brought them to the police station for questioning."
"The verification of these individuals is ongoing. We are checking the authenticity of their Aadhar cards and other documents they have presented. We are checking where exactly they are from, how long they have been staying in Pune and why they came to the city. They have stated that they are from a particular state and city, and we have contacted the police there," he added.
When asked if any weapons were found on these individuals at the hospital, Gill replied in the negative. "No such evidence has come forward. We are conducting a thorough investigation," he said.
Before the police briefing, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ujwala Goud, who was present at the hospital and was among those who shared the message about foreigners staying illegally in India on social media, spoke to The Free Press Journal.
"On Tuesday morning, through our party workers, I got to know that some individuals speaking in Bangla language were roaming in Lohia Nagar. They looked suspicious. So, I put up a post on social media that if anyone saw these individuals, they should immediately report it to the police. On Wednesday morning, the police themselves called me. They informed me that the individuals about whom I had posted were found at the hospital. From their dressing, we thought they were foreigners. Moreover, some people at the hospital have claimed that they had a gun with them," Goud said.
