MANGALURU: The Mulky police have picked up a bus driver and a nurse of the Kanachur Institute of Medical Sciences after they were found transporting about 40-50 women in a college bus on June 27, triggering suspicion that the women were hired as fake patients for an inspection. At a press meet, Police Commissioner N Shashikumar said that some gram panchayat members and villagers grew suspicious on seeing women getting into the college bus at Nagabhanahalli in Karnad village around 8.15 pm.
“When they questioned the driver and nurse, initially they said that the women are being taken for a Covid vaccination drive that took place in Kanachuru public school which is 38 kilometres from Karnad village. But when the villagers found it to be untrue after calling up the local Public Health Centre and others, the duo said that they were being taken to the Kanachur Medical College and Hospital for an inspection,” said the police commissioner.
Shashikumar said that based on a complaint from a villager, they have lodged cases under the National Disaster Management Act (NDMA) and Epidemic Diseases Act. Abdul Rehman, director, Kanachur Institute of Medical Sciences, maintained that the women were being taken for a free vaccination drive that was held at Kanachur Public School on Monday.
“Since the buses would be busy ferrying the staff on Monday morning, we thought of bringing them on Sunday night itself. A group of patients from that village used to regularly reach out to the hospital for medical purposes and we thought of helping them out during the free vaccination drive. The nurse was present in the bus to check the temperature of the women. Unfortunately, due to some confusion, they could not get vaccinated,” he said.