HYDERABAD: An ambulance driver was booked by Hyderabad Traffic Police on Tuesday and the vehicle seized for misusing the siren and transporting not a critically ill patient but his pet dog.
According to the traffic police, the speeding ambulance, which was heading towards Madinaguda from Himayatnagar, was stopped near Panjagutta traffic police station for inspection as part of an ongoing special drive. The cops, who were expecting a patient in the ambulance, were left speechless after finding a pet dog inside.
When questioned, the driver, identified as Lakshminarayana, claimed that he was transporting the dog to a Madinaguda hospital for neutering surgery.
He admitted to using the siren to navigate through traffic. The police seized the vehicle and filed a case against Lakshminarayana.
Unethical act, says top cop
Speaking to TNIE, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Joel Davis stressed that citizens should pull to the side to allow ambulances carrying critically ill patients to pass through quickly. “To ensure smooth movement, traffic signals at key junctions were switched to manual mode to prioritise the timely transport of patients,” he explained. “However, it is unethical for drivers to misuse this privilege for personal gain. The department will soon convene a meeting with stakeholders to devise a lasting solution to this issue,” Davis revealed.