Thief leaves stolen Covid vaccine vials at tea stall with 'sorry' note

Deepender Deswal

Tribune News Service

Jind, April 22

Hours after around 1,710 doses of Covishield and Covaxin were stolen from the storeroom of the government civil hospital in Jind, the thief on Thursday left the stolen vials at a tea stall outside Jind Civil Lines Police Station.

A note in which the thief reportedly expressed “regret over not knowing that it was Covid vaccine” was found along. Some clues about the identity of the thief have also become available.

Around 1,710 doses of Covishield and Covaxin were stolen on Wednesday night.

An official nursing in-charge Sheila had she was called by a sweeper who came to the hospital on Thursday morning, and said that the locks of the storeroom were broken and related items 1,270 Covishield and 440 Covaxin missing.

The thief broke open four locks of the storeroom and the deep freezer. The official had said they have no vaccine left for inoculation in the Jind district.

A medical officer of the civil hospital said the health officials swung into action and the police were informed about the incident.

There were many other vaccines kept in the store which were not taken away.

Sources said vaccines of other diseases like polio were left untouched.

A medical officer said that other valuable like laptop and Rs 50,000 cash besides other things were also lying in the storeroom but the thieves have not taken these article away.