BENGALURU
A routine hospital visit for surgery turned traumatic for a couple after gold and silver ornaments worth nearly Rs 9.7 lakh allegedly went missing from a private hospital ward on Hennur-Bagalur Main Road last week.
Following a complaint, Hennur police arrested a woman hospital staff member suspected of stealing the valuables and launched efforts to recover the ornaments.
According to police, the complainant, a 41-year-old resident of Yelahanka, had accompanied his wife to the hospital on May 1 for a surgery scheduled the following day. Before she was shifted to the operation theatre on the morning of May 2, nursing staff reportedly instructed her to remove all jewellery.
The woman then placed her valuables, including a 65-gram gold mangalya chain, a pair of gold earrings weighing 9 grams and silver anklets weighing 10 grams, inside a handbag kept in the wardrobe of the hospital ward.
However, after the surgery, the couple was shocked to discover that the ornaments were missing when the husband checked the wardrobe around 2.45 pm.
With no signs of forced entry into the ward, suspicion fell on individuals who had access to the room, including hospital employees. The complainant immediately alerted the hospital management before approaching the police.
A senior police officer said a case was registered and an investigation was launched based on CCTV footage and staff movement inside the ward.
During the inquiry, police identified a newly recruited woman staff member as the prime suspect in the theft. She has since been taken into custody for questioning.
Police said the accused’s identity is being withheld at this stage as efforts are underway to recover the stolen ornaments and ascertain whether others were involved in the theft.
Further investigation is in progress.
