A 34-year-old doctor has been booked for allegedly sexually assaulting a 44-year-old male patient of novel coronavirus admitted in the ICU ward of a private hospital in Mumbai.

The accused, an MD, had joined the hospital a day before of the alleged incident took place at the private hospital in Mumbai Central area.

The case is of inappropriate touching, a senior police official has said.

Acting on the complaint by the hospital, the Mumbai Police registered a case against the doctor.

Police said the accused doctor has not been arrested yet since he was in contact with a coronavirus positive patient. Instead, the doctor doctor has been placed in quarantine at his home. A call on his arrest will be taken after quarantine period, police said.

The hospital said the doctor, who had joined a day before the alleged incident took place, has been sacked. “The doctor was on his first day of duty, having joined on previous day. Following the receipt of information of misconduct and as per protocol, the administration immediately informed the police. The services of the doctor were terminated,” the hospital said in a statement.