A man who had gone to Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals on EM Bypass to meet a relative fell unconscious, allegedly after eating drug-laced biscuits offered by a stranger, and was robbed of money and a mobile phone.
On waking up, Pintu Sardar, a resident of Nazat in North 24-Parganas, found himself on the footpath outside the hospital. A bag containing his belongings was allegedly missing.
Police scanned the footage of the hospital’s CCTV cameras and spotted a man offering biscuits to Sardar. The accused was identified as Palas Roy, 34, and arrested from his Panchasayar home on February 19.
Roy confessed to have mixed nitrogen10 tablet powder, which has sedative properties, in the biscuits that he had offered Sardar, the police said.
The incident happened on the morning of February 10 and was reported to the police on February 17.
“The complainant said a man who had introduced himself as a patient’s relative had befriended him and offered him biscuits. After eating the biscuits, the complainant started feeling unwell and passed out. He woke up around 11.30am on the footpath outside the hospital,” said an officer of Phoolbagan police station.
Sardar said he had lost a bag containing Rs 10,000, 55 Euro, a mobile phone and some documents.
Indians are allowed to retain up to $2,000 or its equivalent in foreign currency for future use. 55 Euro is around $60.
The police tracked down Roy from the tower location of Sardar’s missing cellphone.
Based on Roy’s statement, Rs 4,000, 55 Euros and the mobile phone were seized on Monday. A theft case has been filed against Roy, but police have appealed to court to add the charge of drugging under Section 328 of the IPC.
Roy has been remanded in police custody till February 28.
Senior police officers said drugging for robbery was common in trains and government hospitals but rare at a private hospital that is under electronic surveillance.