While the medical superintendent at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital said the the surgical instruments are worth a few thousand rupees, sources said their value was much higher. The state health secretary has acknowledged the theft.

The administration of Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Hospital has registered a First Information Report (FIR) at the Hari Nagar Police

Station. Apart from the police inquiry, the health department has initiated an internal

inquiry. According to sources, senior officials in the health department suspect the involvement of insiders.

The Additional Secretary Rashmi Krishnan is due to submit her report early next week.

“We know that some surgical items have gone missing. We want to find out if adequate steps were taken for security. Every entrance and exit of the hospital is guarded, so we are trying to find out how this happened. We also want to be sure that the remaining instruments are safe,” said Rakesh Bihari, Health Secretary, Delhi Government.

While the state government is dealing with the incident on a priority basis, the hospital administration has not been attaching that much seriousness to the theft.

“It was a small incident and some suturing material was stolen from our hospital. We have informed the police but this is not a serious matter,” said Dr A Prasad, Medical Superintendent, DDU Hospital.

When asked if he suspected the involvement of hospital employees, the Health Secretary said it was too early to comment.

“The matter is being investigated and it would not be correct to say anything before the report is submitted,” added Bihari.