Doctor held for molesting woman during ‘check-up’

The Vakola police on Wednesday arrested a 38-year-old doctor for allegedly molesting a woman on the pretext of carrying out a check-up.

The accused was identified as Narendra Naravade, a doctor attached to Dattatreya Nursing Home, Santa Cruz. The 26-year-old victim was at the clinic with her three-year-old son who was suffering from cough and cold for the past five days.

The complainant, who is a housewife residing at a chawl in Santa Cruz, in her police complaint said Naravade came to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where her son was admitted.

As it was morning, everyone else was asleep. He first enquired about and checked the victim’s son before telling her to get herself checked too.

Naravade told her she had a direct bearing on the child’s health, as she was the mother, she said.

The doctor then curtained the area and told the victim to undress. “On the pretext of a check-up, the doctor started feeling my private parts. When I objected, he said I should obey him because what he was doing was in keeping with medical procedure. He said if I refused, he will not treat my son,” she said in the complaint.

She added that when she realised what the doctor’s intention was, she asked him to stop and confronted him. She stepped out of the ICU and informed the nurse and other hospital authorities about the incident. She also informed her husband, who came to her aid. They then lodged a complaint against the doctor.

The accused, who had fled by then, was later arrested from his residence in Vakola. “Further investigation is on,” said senior police inspector Anil Kharade of the Vakola police station.

Initial investigation conducted revealed that the complainant had admitted her son on Tuesday night. Her husband, who was with her at the time, left for home at night.

The police are in the process of recording the statements of the hospital staff, the patients and others who were present in the hospital at that time. The police said they are also finding out if the accused had committed similar offences in the past.