Woman ‘goes missing’ from CoEP jumbo facility: Authorities say she was discharged, family holds protest

The woman did not have a cell phone with her, said police. (Representational image)

A 33-year-old woman, who was admitted to the jumbo Covid facility in Pune in the last week of August, has gone missing from the facility, according to her family members, who said they found out she was missing on September 13. Police are currently probing a missing complaint registered by the family on September 14.

Family members of the woman and some social outfits held a protest outside the jumbo facility on COEP Ground in Pune on Thursday, demanding action against authorities who, they allege, are responsible for the “disappearance” of the woman.

However, officials from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), which is in charge of running the facility, have told her family members that the woman was discharged from the facility on September 5.

At the protest in front of the Covid facility on Thursday, her mother said, “My daughter was admitted to the jumbo hospital on August 29 after she tested positive for Covid-19. From the beginning, we were told by the jumbo facility authorities that we would not be able to speak to her directly. They also told us that she had started taking medicines and she was doing well. They asked us to come after 14 days of the quarantine period. When we came here on September 13, we were initially told she could not be found. Later, they told us that she had been discharged on September 5. We were not told why she was discharged early and why we were not informed at the time. We filed a missing complaint on September 14.”

The woman did not have a cell phone with her, said police.

Her family members also demanded to see CCTV footage from the facility on the day she was “discharged” but were told by authorities that the agency that earlier operated the facility had the footage.

“On the day the missing complaint was registered, we sought the documents pertaining to the woman’s admission and discharge, as well as access to the security camera footage. We didn’t receive it initially and we reminded the agency again two days ago. We have been told that we will receive the documents and data today. We immediately launched a probe after receiving the complaint and have circulated her photo to other police stations,” said Inspector Manisha Zende of Shivajinagar police station.

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