Patel's number may soon be up

MELBOURNE: India-born surgeon Jayant Patel,facing charges relating to the death of 17 patients, literally tried his luck a last time in the US when he reportedly bought a State of Oregon lottery ticket.
    
Australia is in the process of extraditing him from the US on 16 charges, including three of manslaughter, accusing him of gross incompetence and causing death of the patients while he was working at Bundaberg Base Hospital in Queensland.
    
Patel, nicknamed "Dr Death", is expected to be arrested by US officers once the paperwork between the two countries is completed, which could occur as early as next month.
    
A media channel - 'The Nine Network' - confronted Patel in a car park in his hometown of Portland, Oregon, after the fugitive doctor reportedly bought a lottery ticket on Thursday.
    
The Nine crew approached Patel as he sat in the driver's seat of a stationary white SUV. Wearing a pink jumper, the bespectacled doctor refused to answer questions, and sat staring ahead with his hands on the steering wheel as he was questioned through the open car door.
    
"You're not going to say anything?" he was asked.
    
"No," he said, according to 'The Age'.
     
He then slammed car door and drove away.
     
Patel has been living in Portland ever since he fled Australia in April 2005.