Air Hostess Assault Case: Police Arrest Suspect After Reviewing 800 CCTV Footages

Gurugram, April 18 (NationPress) Just one day after its establishment, the Gurugram police's Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the air hostess ICU sexual assault case successfully apprehended the suspect on Friday, after carefully examining footage from over 800 CCTV cameras located both inside and outside the private hospital, as confirmed by police.

The suspect was named as Deepak, 25, originally from Muzaffarpur, Bihar, who had been employed as a treatment machine technician in the hospital's ICU for the last five months. He is scheduled to be presented in court on Saturday, where police will request custody for ongoing investigations, according to a police representative.

A source close to the investigation revealed that the suspect, apprehended in the Sadar Police Station area on Friday, has admitted to his wrongdoing.

"During the inquiry, eight police teams reviewed footage from 800 CCTV cameras within the hospital premises, and around 50 hospital staff members, including doctors, were interrogated about the incident. Considering the gravity of the situation, the police teams explored every possible angle and gathered significant information related to the case, which led to the successful identification of the perpetrator who committed this offense," stated DCP, Headquarters, Arpit Jain.

On Thursday, Gurugram Police Commissioner Vikas Kumar Arora had established the SIT for identifying and capturing the suspect. The SIT, led by DCP Jain, comprised eight distinct police teams assigned special instructions to gather evidence and information relevant to the incident.

The various teams, including those led by ACP, Sadar, Yashwant, ACP, CAW, Kavita, Sadar SHO, Inspector Sunil Kumar, SHO, Women Police West, Inspector Geeta, CIA Chief Sector 40, Inspector Amit Kumar, and the investigating officer, Assistant-Sub-Inspector Sonika, collected diverse information pertinent to the case.

The victim, a 46-year-old air hostess, reported being sexually assaulted while on ventilator support in the ICU of a well-known private hospital in Gurugram on April 6. The incident came to light on April 13 when she informed her husband about the assault, prompting him to alert the police and file a formal complaint.

According to her allegation, the air hostess had traveled to Gurugram for training on behalf of her company and was residing in a hotel. During her stay, she experienced health issues stemming from a drowning incident, leading to her admission to a private hospital for treatment. Subsequently, on April 5, her husband transferred her to another facility in Gurugram for care. She was released from the hospital on April 13.

"While receiving treatment on April 6, she was on a ventilator and was sexually assaulted by hospital staff. At that time, she was unable to speak and was extremely frightened. Additionally, she was unconscious during the incident, with two nurses present nearby," the victim alleged in her complaint.

After being discharged, she disclosed the assault to her husband, who then informed the police, leading to a complaint being filed with the legal advisor.

Following the victim's complaint, a case was opened at the Sadar Police Station in Gurugram. A police team was dispatched to the hospital to review the duty roster and analyze CCTV footage for identifying the suspect, police reported.

In the meantime, the hospital denied the air hostess's claims of sexual harassment by one of its staff while she was on a ventilator in the ICU, allegedly in the presence of two nurses. In a statement released on April 15, the hospital asserted that "no allegations have been substantiated" to date and that it had provided CCTV footage and relevant medical records to the police.