Hyderabad couple arrested for drugging patients, stealing gold from hospitals

Hyderabad police arrested Goundla Shirisha, a pharmacy student, and her husband for allegedly drugging patients with Diazepam and stealing valuables, including gold. Investigations revealed prior hospital thefts, and authorities have seized stolen items while warning medical facilities to improve security.

Hyderabad: A couple who administered sedatives to patients at hospitals and decamped with valuables were arrested by the Hyderabad police on Tuesday. The police seized gold ornaments weighing 11 tolas, two mobile phones and a car from them.

The arrested are Goundla Shirisha (25), a pharmacy student and her husband Edulapally Sai Kumar Goud (30), a businessman, both residing at Nawabpet mandal in Vikarabad district.

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According to the police, on March 11, posing as a medical professional, the woman entered a private hospital at Secunderabad and, after identifying a senior citizen woman, administered Diazepam injection to her. The woman got unconscious and utilising the opportunity, Shirisha, collected gold ornaments weighing around 11 tolas from the victim and escaped from the place, said DCP Hyderabad Commissioner’s Task Force, Gaikwad Vaibhav Raghunath.

On a complaint, the police had registered a case and started enquiries. During the investigation, the police traced the couple who, on interrogation, admitted to having stolen the gold from a patient.

The couple had adopted a similar modus operandi at a hospital in Chandanagar on March 10 and decamped with property from a patient in the hospital. In February, the woman was arrested by the police for a similar offence committed at a private hospital in Jubilee Hills. The police had cracked the case then and arrested the woman.

“Shirisha identified hospitals in the city and moved around carrying vials of Diazepam in her pocket. On getting opportunity, she injected the drug into the patient and decamped with the property,” said Inspector Market police station, SM Basheer Ahmed.