BHUBANESWAR: In an embarrassing breach of security, unidentified miscreants allegedly made away with medical instruments worth around Rs 60 lakh from the laboratory at Capital Hospital late on Tuesday.
CCTV footage showed the thieves carrying the lab equipment in sacks on their back. They were seen donning what appeared to be staff uniforms.
Police started investigating the matter after receiving a complaint from the hospital authorities. Some of the outsourcing staff are suspected to be involved in the crime, hospital authorities said following examination of the CCTV footage.
Capital Hospital director Dr Laxmidhar Sahu said unused equipment as well as new ones required for various pathological tests stored in the laboratory for installation were stolen. The instruments, meant for blood, dengue, and malaria tests, etc are worth around Rs 50-Rs 60 lakh.
Dr Sahu said CCTV footage indicated that thieves were in uniform for which the involvement of staff is suspected. “They appear to have done it with the help of outsiders,” he said. Besides, the inability of security staff to stop shifting the equipment also raised questions, hospital authorities pointed out.
Based on the complaint of the hospital, a case was registered by the Capital Police Station under section 381 of IPC. “The CCTV footage will be examined to identify the culprits. Efforts are on to apprehend them at the earliest,” said an officer.
The hospital authorities, meanwhile, convened a meeting with the agency that has outsourced manpower and sought help to identify those involved in the theft. “Considering the sensitivity of the case, the agency has also been asked to take disciplinary action,” the hospital director said.