Medanta staffer watched porn before and after sexual assault, say cops

Gurgaon: A 25-year-old ICU technician arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a flight attendant on ventilator support at Medanta Hospital was found to be addicted to pornography, police said.

Originally from Badhauli village in Bihar's Muzaffarpur, Deepak had been working at the hospital for five months before the incident. He holds a BSc degree in operation theatre technology from a private institution, where he studied between 2019 and 2022.

Police spokesperson Sandeep Kumar confirmed that Deepak's phone history showed he had watched pornographic clips both before and after committing the sexual assault on April 6.

The woman — originally from Bengal — had nearly drowned in a swimming pool while undergoing a training programme with a major airline, for which he had come to the city. Her husband took her to a private hospital.

On April 5, he transferred her to Medanta, where she underwent emergency treatment for over a week. According to the complaint, the ICU technician allegedly assaulted the woman the next day, when she was on ventilator support and in a semi-conscious state.

"She was not in a condition to speak or resist the man's advances because of her weakened condition. There were two nurses in the room, but they did not intervene," the FIR read.

After she was discharged from the hospital on April 13, the flight attendant confided in her husband and lodged a complaint at Sadar police station. An FIR was registered under BNS sections 64(2) (rape) and 68 (sexual intercourse in authority).

Police commissioner Vikas Kumar Arora subsequently formed an SIT headed by DCP (HQ) Arpit Jain. The eight-member team included ACP (Sadar) Yashwant, ACP (crimes against women) Kavita, SHO (Sadar) Sunil Kumar and SHO (women's police station) Geeta.

The team, police said, scanned footage from more than 800 CCTV cameras installed on the hospital's premises and questioned over 50 staff members.

"An analysis of CCTV footage showed suspicious movements by Deepak near the woman's bed during the relevant time period. The woman's statement, coupled with testimonies from the nursing staff, helped establish his involvement in the crime," a police officer said.

Deepak was arrested on Friday and presented before a Gurgaon court the following day. He was remanded in judicial custody after confessing to the crime during interrogation, police said.

Authorities at Medanta confirmed on Friday they had suspended the technician. "We have been informed that the police have identified a suspect who has been taken into custody in connection with the ongoing investigation concerning allegations of sexual assault on a patient. On the basis of the information provided to us by the police, at present, we have suspended the suspect employee," the statement issued by the hospital's medical superintendent Dr Sanjay Durani read.