India: COVID-19 positive convict uses coronavirus as a tool to threaten, escape from cops
The COVID-19 patient was arrested 18kms away outside a bar in Bengaluru
A police suspect who was being treated for COVID-19 at a hospital in the Indian city of Bengaluru, used the disease as a tool to escape cops, yesterday. Apparently, the 30-year-old suspect facing attempt to murder charges, threatened to infect anyone who tried to catch him.
Twitter users shared the video of the suspect escaping the hospital, as security personal and staff try to follow him.
On Wednesday morning, panic gripped Victoria Hospital's COVID-19 Trauma Care Centre, when the man escaped. According to the staff, the incident occurred around 10.20am, when the suspect, who has not been named, was reportedly being taken for a routine X-ray. He spat on the security personnel, and other marshals, who were guarding the ward, and managed to escape through the exit of Vani Vilas Hospital, which is in the same compound.
Explaining the turn of incidents, Dr Asima Banu, nodal officer, Trauma Care Centre said: “The mornings are usually extremely busy with all sorts of activities taking place such as cleaning, medication of Covid-19 patients and patients being discharged. In the confusion, the prisoner jumped into an open elevator and headed to the ground level,” according to Indian news website deccanherald.com.
At the ground floor, the prisoner came upon two security guards. Reportedly, he warned the guards that he was COVID-19-positive. He then spat on them. Both guards were wearing PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) kits, and tried to restrain him.
The convict broke through, and hurried towards a secondary entry gate, where another guard tried to stop him but failed.
After his escape, the suspect made his way to a relative’s home about 9.5km away. However, the house was closed as the family had been relocated to quarantine centers, being primary contacts.
He was eventually caught at 6.15pm, loitering near a bar nearly 9kms away, and had managed to travel 18kms while trying to escape.
The local police and health officials returned the patient to the Emergency and Trauma Care Centre. He has been booked under Section 224 of the Indian Penal Code (Resistance or obstruction by a person to his lawful apprehension), and the NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) Act.
The suspect, a cook in Shivajinagar, had originally been detained by police on charges of attempted murder on Monday. He was suspected to have stabbed a person from Bihar during an argument. On Tuesday, he tested COVID-19 positive. Since then, 20 police personnel at the station have been quarantined because of contact.