TIRUPPUR: Six people, out of the total 32 who were shifted to the Tiruppur Medical College Hospital from an illegal de-addiction centre in Dharapuram, went missing on Wednesday. Tiruppur South Police are trying to trace them.
According to sources, 33 people were admitted in the Dharapuram centre, run by K Karthikeyan (37) of Kallimandayam near Oddanchatram in Dindigul, in the last few months. On February 19, Manikandan (39) a construction labourer died in the facility.
His family members lodged a complaint in Dharapuram Police Station suspecting foul play in his death. Post mortem examination was conducted in Dharapuram Government Hospital, but it did not reveal anything significant, police said, adding viscera samples were sent to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital for testing.
On February 20, officials from the Department of Health Service inspected the de-addiction centre and found out that it did not have licence.The officials sealed it and transferred 32 people to Tiruppur Medical College Hospital. On Wednesday, six went missing.
Speaking to TNIE, CA Samiyappan, parent of a missing person, said,”My son was admitted to de-addiction centre of the Dharapuram for the past four months. We paid around Rs 10,000 per month. Yesterday, police informed us that the centre was closed and patients were transferred to Tiruppur Medical College Hospital. I came here but the nurse did not allow me to my son. Since he suffers from seizures, I am worried. The parents of the other missing patients are yet to come”
Speaking to TNIE, Tiruppur Medical College Hospital Dean Dr R Murugesan said,”On February 20, 32 people , all aged above 18, were brought here from Dharapuram by ambulances. All of them were offered food and medicines. Since some of the parents were willing to discharge their wards, we decided to examine them the next day. But, six people went missing on Wednesday morning. Since we have already registered the names of the patients, we have informed the local police station (Tiruppur South ). We are inquiring whether they left on their own.”