How a woman posed as doctor, sedated patient and stole gold at Yashoda Hospital

Hyderabad: A 25-year-old Pharm.D student allegedly posed as a doctor wearing a mask, entered a corporate hospital in Secunderabad, sedated a patient and fled with gold ornaments.

Police said that the crime did not just happen once but is part of a series of targeted hospital thefts across the city.

The police said they seized gold ornaments weighing about 11 tolas from the accused and her husband, who was helping her with the crimes.

Accused and husband posed as medical professionals

The accused, identified as Goundla Shirisha (25), along with her husband, Edulapally Sai Kumar Goud (30), was arrested on March 16 by the Secunderabad Task Force and Market Police.

Police said the duo had been impersonating medical professionals to gain access to wards and target vulnerable patients.

Elderly women were targets

According to investigators, Shirisha used her medical training to move convincingly within hospital premises. Wearing a doctor’s coat over a burka to avoid suspicion, she entered Yashoda Hospital, Secunderabad, on March 11.

Once inside, she accessed nursing areas, picked up medical items and moved freely into patient wards.

Her targets were specific. Police said she focused on elderly women patients wearing gold ornaments. After identifying a victim, she allegedly prepared to administer a sedative injection to render them unconscious.

Concealed Diazepam in her apron

“She procured a Diazepam injection, a sedative drug used to induce sleep and concealed it in her doctor’s apron to avoid suspicion,” police said.

In at least one instance, she managed to sedate a patient before removing gold ornaments and escaping from the hospital premises. In other cases, she allegedly stole jewellery by exploiting the confusion and access that came with impersonating medical staff.

Couple hit Citizen Speciality Hospital in Chandanagar previously

Police said the couple had been operating in a similar manner across multiple hospitals. A previous case was reported at Citizen Speciality Hospital, Chandanagar, where they allegedly executed an identical plan.

“On March 16, based on credible information, the sleuths of the Commissioner’s Task Force, Secunderabad Zone Team, along with the Market Police of Malkajgiri Commissionerate, apprehended two accused persons who were involved in robbery cases. The accused had been impersonating medical professionals in hospitals across cities, administering a sedative drug to patients and subsequently robbing the gold ornaments worn by them,” said Gaiwad Vaibhav Raghunath, IPS, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Task Force, Hyderabad City.

Accused wanted in multiple cases

Police said the accused had been absconding after committing multiple offences.

During the arrest, officers seized gold ornaments weighing about 11 tolas, two mobile phones, and a Maruti Suzuki Baleno car used in the crimes.

Financial distress led to crimes

Investigators revealed that the motive behind the crimes was financial distress.

Shirisha, a pharmacy student from Vikarabad district, allegedly used her knowledge of drugs and hospital systems to execute the plan, while her husband assisted in logistics and disposal of stolen property.

“Due to financial difficulties, she, along with her husband, planned to commit thefts in hospitals. They targeted elderly female patients and used sedative injections to facilitate the crime,” police said.

Cases have been registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Market Police Station, Malkajgiri, and Chandanagar Police Station, Cyberabad. Shirisha is also linked to an earlier case registered at Filmnagar.

Police are now examining CCTV footage from hospitals to identify if more incidents are connected to the duo.

The operation was carried out by Inspector J Raj Shekar of the Secunderabad Task Force, along with SHO V Ramchander and other officers of Market Police Station, under the supervision of senior officials.

Officials said further investigation is underway to determine the full extent of the network and whether more victims are yet to come forward.