Gold jewellery worth nearly Rs 1L missing from deceased woman’s body

Jalpaiguri: Tension erupted on Tuesday morning at the Super Specialty wing of Jalpaiguri Medical College after gold jewellery went missing from the body of a deceased woman kept in a locked room overnight. The family claimed that ornaments worth nearly Rs 1 lakh were stolen and lodged a written complaint at Kotwali Police Station.

The deceased, Mankhushi Bauli (65) of Domohani Marichbari in Maynaguri block, fell ill late Monday night. She was rushed to Jalpaiguri Medical College, where doctors declared her dead on arrival. As post-mortems are not conducted at night, the hospital informed the police and kept the body locked in a designated room, following standard protocol. When the family returned on Tuesday morning, the room was opened in their presence. However, moments before the body was to be taken for post-mortem, they noticed that her gold earrings, nose ring and a gold locket with chain were missing. The discovery triggered an uproar across the hospital.

Alleging foul play, the family staged a protest in front of the Super Specialty department and refused to accept the body until action was taken. Later, after police assurance, the body was sent to the morgue. Mankhushi’s son, Palash Bauli, said: “My mother was wearing gold ornaments worth nearly Rs 1 lakh. We were not in the state of mind to remove them. The room was locked. How did the jewellery disappear? We suspect hospital staff involvement.”

Dr. Kalyan Khan, Medical Superintendent cum Vice-Principal (MSVP) of the medical college, said: “We have heard that the family has approached the police. If the police conduct an investigation, we will fully cooperate and provide access to all CCTV footage.”

Jalpaiguri Superintendent of Police Khandbahale Umesh Ganpat confirmed that an investigation has begun.