Mumbai:
In the first case of its kind at JJ Hospital in Mumbai, three employees of the hospital allegedly molested a woman inside the building's premises.
The incident happened during the first week of December when the victim visited JJ Hospital, Byculla, to get her 13-year-old son treated for a heel ulcer.
The three accused are Prabhakar Surve (55), Vinod More (45) and Rahul Tambe (30). While Surve is an ambulance driver, More is a ward boy and Tambe, the son of a retired nurse at the hospital.
In her complaint, the victim, a resident of Bhiwandi, alleged that the trio promised to get surgery done on her son's heel at the earliest since they knew the doctors at the hospital.
"Being a mother, she was worried about her son's condition and the money that would be required for the operation. She narrated her ordeal to the three men, who promised to help and that's how they exchanged mobile numbers," said a police official at JJ Marg police station.
According to her statement, she got a call from Surve on December 14, asking to meet him in the ambulance area of the hospital.
The following day, she received a call again, at night this time, and the trio told her to meet them on the sixth floor of the main hospital building.
"It was then that they started molesting her. The sixth floor of the hospital does not have any wards and is usually quiet at night," said a police official.
"The three started touching her on the pretext of sympathising with her and later, furthered their advances. Realising their motives, she ran downstairs."
Although the incident happened on December 15, the woman made a formal complaint to the hospital authorities on December 21.
She said that she wanted her son to be discharged from the hospital before informing the authorities. Meanwhile, the police have arrested the trio and an FIR has been registered against them.
Sources in the hospital told MiD DAY that the accused were alcoholics and of dubious character. While Rahul Tambe is currently unemployed, Surve has deserted his family for another woman.
"His family who is residing at the hospital has broken off all ties with him," the source told. Vinod More was seeking a transfer to Mantralay before this incident happened and is presently on leave.
The medical superintendent of JJ hospital, Dr H Jadhav said, "She came to me in the morning and we referred her to the police station. The police are investigating the matter now."