A patient fleeing from Shillong Civil Hospital is a drug addict:EKH SP

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaApril 5, 2020

East Khasi Hills superintendent of police Claudia A Lyngwa said the patient, who ran away from the Shillong civil hospital (SCH) is a drug addict and was suffering from withdrawal symptoms.

This came after a wireless transmission message went viral on social media stating that the patient, who has travel history to Nepal, had absconded from the hospital.

In a statement issued here on Sunday, Lyngwa however informed that the cantonment police while on patrolling in the evening of April 2, came across  a person who was loitering around the Bimola point and on being questioned by the police gave his name as Bhim Bahadur Chetri and he said he was not feeling well.

So the officer on duty called the 108, which promptly arrived and the person was taken to Civil Hospital. The Cantonment police then informed the Jhalupara In Charge regarding the matter as he had claimed to be a resident of Jhalupara. 

She said it was only at about 9.40am on April 3, that Police Booth was informed by hospital authorities that the above person had run away from the isolation room where he was kept as per protocol at about 4.30 am in the morning.

“On being informed by the in charge Police Booth, I immediately alerted the I/C Jhalupara to contact the headman and secretary of Jhalupara, but it was confirmed from them that he was not a resident of Jhalupara. In the meantime, the DHS who had been contacted by me earlier called to inform that Bhim Bahadur Mogul as given by him in the hospital entry register was in fact a drug addict and he was suffering from withdrawal symptoms,” the SP said.

“Another team who was sent to the check point at Mawiong to verify from the entry register maintained by the officers on duty on March 30, to confirm the story given by Bhim Bahadur that he had entered Shillong on the March 30 was also negative,” she added.

It may be mentioned that the check point strictly enters the name of each and every person entering Shillong 24×7.

The SP further informed that it was also confirmed from Manbha Foundation that Bhim Bahadur Thapa name given by him to them has been undergoing substitution therapy and he in fact had just visited the Manbha Foundation on the April 1, and was given the dose plus extra required for sustaining him during the lockdown.

Meanwhile, the police are on track to locate the person but clearly he is still absconding out of fear of being ostracized by society, the SP said.