How Gurugram Police nabbed technician who ‘digitally raped’ air hostess at Medanta hospital. Who is the suspect?

A technician, identified as Deepak Kumar, working at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram was arrested on Friday in connection with the sexual assault on an air hostess, who was on a ventilator in the multispecialty hospital.

The Gurugram Police made the arrest after an intensive investigation was launched on April 14, after the woman, who is from West Bengal and had come to the city for a training with the airline, filed a complaint at the Sadar police station alleging sexual misconduct while she was under care.

Gurugram Police commissioner Vikas Kumar Arora, on Thursday, had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the supervision of DCP (headquarters) Dr Arpit Jain, to probe the incident.

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Who is accused Deepak Kumar?

• Deepak Kumar, 25, is a native of Bihar’s Muzaffarpur.
• He had been living in Gurugram for some time, the police said.
• Preliminary questioning of the suspect revealed that Deepak Kumar worked in Medanta's Intensive Care Unit, where he was responsible for handling treatment machinery.

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• The accused revealed that he joined Medanta five months ago after completing his bachelor's in Operation Theatre Technology at a private university.
• He allegedly committed the sexual assault while on duty, police officials told Hindustan Times.

What next?

• The suspect will be produced before a magistrate on Saturday and will be taken on police remand for further questioning.
• A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the investigation is still continuing.
• Further action will be taken based on forensic reports and follow-up interrogations, police said.

How Guguram Police nabbed the accused?

• Police said they identified the accused after examining CCTV camera footage, interrogating the hospital staff and investigating various facts.
• "During the course of the investigation, we reviewed footage from more than 800 CCTV cameras installed throughout the hospital premises and questioned over 50 hospital staff members, such as doctors, nurses, and technicians. The probe was conducted from every possible angle, with timelines, duty rosters, and access logs carefully examined to identify inconsistencies and leads,” Dr Arpit Jain said.
• Dr Jain said eight dedicated teams were formed to carry out the investigation, comprising officers from multiple units, including ACP Sadar Yashwant Yadav, ACP (crime against women) Dr Kavita, Sadar SHO Inspector Sunil Kumar, Women’s Police Station (West) SHO Inspector Geeta, CIA Sector 40 in-charge Inspector Amit Kumar, and investigating officer ASI Sonika.

What did the air hostess say in the complaint?

• The incident came to light when the 46-year-old flight attendant lodged a police complaint on April 14.
• She alleged that she was admitted to Medanta Hospital on April 5 for some treatment. And, on the next day, April 6, a man carried out digital rape on her in the hospital ICU room, where two other nurses were also present who did nothing to stop him, news agency PTI reported.
• She said around 9pm on April 6, two nurses changed her clothes and bedsheet. She was in a semi-conscious state when she heard a man's voice.
• "I could hear all the sounds and proceedings there. The man asked for the inventory from both nurses. The nurses started giving their details," she said.
• "Then I heard the man asking the nurse about the size of my waistband, and he said that he would check it himself. In the meantime, I felt that the man had put his hand under the bedsheet from my right side," she said, adding he digitally raped her.
• According to police, the woman was admitted to the hospital after she fell ill following a swim in the pool of a hotel she was staying in.
• Investigators said the woman arrived in Gurugram on March 31 for a training programme by an airline operator in Darbaripur, Sector 75.

(With inputs from Leena Dhankhar in Gurugram)