KOLHAPUR: An internal medicine practitioner in Islampur town of Sangli district has been arrested for allegedly keeping the body of a woman for two days and charging treatment cost for those two days.
Islampur city police arrested Yogesh Watharkar, who runs the Adhar Health Care hospital at Islampur town. The police have slapped charges under IPC sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery of documents), and 297 (irreverence of dead bodies) against him.
The complaint was filed by Salim Hamid Sheikh of Kasegaon village. His 60-year-old mother, Sayra, was admitted to the hospital run on February 24. Salim received his mother's body on March 10 with the discharge certificate mentioning that date. However, when he visited the local health administration to get the death certificate, he found the date mentioned on the certificate as March 8.
In his complaint, Salim stated that he was charged Rs 41,289 for the treatment carried out between March 8 and 10, and alleged that the doctor withheld the body despite his mother’s demise two days earlier. Krishnat Pingle, the Islampur deputy superintendent of police, said, “We have arrested the doctor and have received police custody till July 12 for interrogation.”
After the complaint was filed, the Islampur police referred the documents to district health authorities who recommended a thorough investigation. The police suspects that the doctor might have indulged in such unethical practices and have appealed to others who may have experienced similar instances to approach them.
