Three arrested, two booked for deaths of auto drivers in Chandrayangutta

Two men were arrested by the Hyderabad police in connection with the deaths of two auto drivers who collapsed and died after administering Atranium 25 mg, an anaesthesia drug, near Farooq-e-Azam Masjid, in Chandrayangutta.

The accused were identified as Choude Akash, 23, a ward boy at ABS Hospital, Chikkadpally, Jarpati Shiva Shankar, 19, an auto driver, and Yamjala Kalyan, 23, a band player.

Police have also booked two hospital staff members - neuro-surgeon S. Jaipal Reddy, chairman and managing director of ABS Hospital, and Mohammed Vikaruddin, a student nurse and surgical assistant- for negligence in handling controlled drugs.

According to the police, Reddy had requisitioned 25 Atranium vials for surgery on November 26, of which four were used. The remaining vials were left unsecured in the operating theatre in violation of protocols. Vikaruddin was responsible for arranging the medicines but failed to ensure their proper storage. This negligence, officials said, enabled Akash to steal the ampoules later misused.

The case came into light in the early hours of December 3, when Jahangir Khan, 25, and Syed Irfan, 29, were found unconscious in an auto after self-administering the injection.

Investigation revealed that Irfan met a friend on the night of December 2 and later contacted Jahangir to arrange a Termin injection, which the duo were accustomed to using. As it was unavailable, Jhangir’s friend procured Atranium 25 mg ampoules instead. Irfan and Jhangir, along with two others, gathered near the masjid, where Irfan filled syringes with the drug and administered a small dose to one companion, who briefly collapsed but regained consciousness. Irfan and Jhangir then took the remaining injections and collapsed shortly afterwards. Both died at the scene.

Based on the statement of the surviving witness, police first arrested Kalyan, who admitted to regularly procuring such injections through suppliers. He told officers that he and Jhangir purchased the ampoules for ₹2,000 on the night of the incident.

The second arrest was that of Shankar, known locally as Chintu, who confessed to sourcing Atranium through his associate Akash. Shiva, who is also addicted to injectable substances, resold the anaesthesia drug to Kalyan and Jahangir after receiving it a day earlier.

The third suspect, Akash, a ward boy at ABS Hospital in Chikkadpally, and formerly employed at MNJ Cancer Hospital, admitted to stealing the four Atranium ampoules from an operating theatre while cleaning up after a surgery on November 26. Police said he hid the stolen vials at his home before selling them to Shiva. Investigations revealed that Akash was addicted to ganja, liquor, and Termine injections. He was removed from MNJ Hospital after he fell unconscious after administering an anesthesia drug. He has been working with ABS Hospital since November 15. Akash was earlier arrested by the Borabanda police in a theft case.

Senior officials from the South East Zone praised the Chandrayangutta police team for swiftly detecting the case and arresting the accused. A reward has been recommended for the policemen involved in solving the crime.