Ahmedabad: Cop’s house sanitised a week after her death!

AHMEDABAD: A retired woman cop from Shahibaug, Noorbiwi Malek, had died at the dedicated Covid-19 facility on the Civil Hospital campus in Asarwa on June 1.
One week later, her family got a call from someone who said he was a doctor, who then proceeded to tell them that Malek had Covid-19 and they should keep a safe distance from her.
The man then asked the family for Malek’s address but the family did not give it out, considering the call to be from some fraudster. A team from the hospital and Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) found the house themselves and sanitised it, one whole week after she had died.
Noorbiwi, who had retired as constable, succumbed to Covid-19 at the facility on June 1. Her family members alleged that she had died at least 24 hours earlier, and that the ward staff kept showing them her back on video call for one day, claiming that she was asleep.
Malek’s sister, Raeesa Shaikh told TOI, “A man called up my brother Yakub and first said that my sister had Covid-19. When he told the man that he already knew about our sister’s report, the man advised him to keep a safe distance from her. As my brother told him that she was already dead, then the man enquired if any one in the family had symptoms like cold and cough.”
Annoyed with the prolonged inquiry, Malek’s brother told the caller that media reports had already carried stories about Malek and he should have read that.
The man then told him that he got his number from the hospital and had been asked by authorities to inform the family about the patient.
Malek’s relatives said four days ago they also received a call from an unknown number where a person wanted to speak to Noorbiwi and he was offering some Union government schemes for poor patients.
Family alleged that their number might have leaked from hospital and such person kept rubbing salt to their injuries.