A patient who went missing from Kolkata’s SSKM Hospital after being taken for an MRI has remained untraced for six days, prompting a police investigation based on complaints from his family and the hospital authorities.
The missing man has been identified as Sajol Das, a resident of New Barrackpur. According to his family, he was undergoing treatment at SSKM Hospital and was taken for an MRI around midnight on September 7 by a family member. The family has alleged that Das did not return to the ward after the examination.
The hospital authorities informed Bhabanipur police after the patient failed to return to the ward. Das’s son later filed a written complaint at the police station, following which the police registered a case and began investigating the circumstances of his disappearance.
Hospital officials said Das had been admitted to the medicine department of the Mackenzie Ward. The patient’s family members had taken him to the MRI centre, according to the hospital. When he did not return to the ward, the duty nurse contacted the MRI centre and was told that the patient had completed the examination and left.
The hospital has also claimed that attempts were made to contact the family on the phone numbers available to the authorities, but nobody answered. The hospital subsequently informed the police about the missing patient.
CCTV footage examined by the police reportedly shows Das leaving the hospital premises. Investigators also found footage showing him in the Khidderpore area, where he was last seen. Police have not yet located him after that point.
The family has alleged that, while returning after the MRI, Das suddenly assaulted the young family member accompanying him and ran out of the hospital. The circumstances surrounding this claim, including what happened immediately after the patient left the MRI centre, are part of the ongoing investigation.
Police are examining whether anyone may have confined or otherwise prevented Das from leaving the area, according to the report. The investigation is also focused on tracing his movements after the CCTV sighting in Khidderpore.
The case raises immediate questions about how hospitals respond when an admitted patient does not return to a ward after being moved for a diagnostic procedure. In this instance, both the hospital and the family have approached the police, while CCTV footage is being used to establish the patient’s route. Further action will depend on the police investigation and efforts to trace Das.
