CCTV switched off: Mother & daughter murdered in Gujarat hospital

AHMEDABAD: All hell broke loose at an ENT hospital near Bhulabhai Park in Maninagar on Wednesday when one of the employees opened a cabinet concealing pipes and valves only to find the body of a woman stuffed inside. After CCTV footage check revealed she had not come to the hospital alone, police found her mother's body hidden under a bed.
The Kagdapith police identified the deceased as Bharti Vala, 30, and her mother, Champa. Cops suspect the two were first drugged and then strangled to make sure they were dead. The police have detained Mansukh, a compounder at the hospital. He is related to Bharti's in-laws, said police.
"Bharti married 5-6 years ago. However, due to domestic disputes, she returned to her parents' house in Narol and has been living there since," said police, adding: "The murder seems to have taken place between 9.30am and 10.30am as the CCTV system was shut down during this period. Also, Dr Arpit Shah, who runs the hospital, was not present there. He had left the hospital between 9am and 9.30am."

DCP (Zone 6) A M Muniya said, "The staff found the body of the woman first. They checked the CCTV footage and informed the police that she was accompanied by another woman. We checked the hospital and found the body of her mother under a bed that had been covered with a bedsheet that touched the floor."
He said, "We rounded up the hospital employees and found that the woman was related to the compounder."
The police said, "Champa's leg had been aching so the mother and daughter left home to go to L G Hospital for a checkup. However, they then decided to visit the ENT hospital to get her ears checked."
Going by the primary information they collected, the cops suspect the accused was aware the doctor would not be present at the hospital after 9.30am and called the duo during that time. The cops believe the accused killed Bharti first and when Champa tried to intervene, she too was injected with the same drug and murdered.
The bodies have been sent for postmortem. A team of forensic experts were called to assist the police.