NIMHANS Employee Sells Biopsy Samples to Kerala Medical Colleges

A probe into missing biopsy samples has revealed that such samples were being illegally sold to various private medical institutes in Kerala by an employee of NIMHANS over the last two years. The suspect is believed to have sold around 300-400 biopsy samples.

Bengaluru:Biopsy samples collected from patients of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) Hospital, which went missing over the period of two years, were traced to medical institutes in Kerala, an official said.

Official probing these missing samples have established that they were collected from brain tumor and cancer patients and that these samples were stolen and sold to the traced private medical colleges in Kerala in the last two years.

On December 23, HOD of the hospital, Dr. Anita Mahadevan, visited the mortuary and inspected it, and it came to light that the biopsy samples had been stolen. A case was registered in Siddapur police station against three persons, including Chandrasekhar, who was working as a technician in the hospital, and Annadorai, who was an assistant in the mortuary, based on a complaint filed by Shankar Narayan Rao, the registrar of NIMHANS Hospital. The two were working on contract basis for many years.

As per investigations, sample was being sold to private medical colleges in Kerala through the absconding accused Raghuram. It is also learnt that he has been indulging in this activity since the last two years and has sold around 300 to 400 biopsy samples.

"In the last 16 years, Chandrasekhar, who was working as a technician in the neuropathology department, stole samples from people who were undergoing biopsy tests. He gave them to Annamalai, who worked at the mortuary. The samples were stored in cold storage. Later, they were sold to private colleges in Kerala through Raghuram, the third accused in the case. It is yet not known how much they were charging for a sample. Truth will be revealed after another accused is nabbed," said DCP Nagar South Division Rahul Kumar Shahapur.

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