A 24-year-old doctor working with the Employees' State Insurance Scheme (ESIS) hospital in west Delhi was raped in the hospital premises and left critically injured, the police said Tuesday.
The victim, who has been admitted to the privately-run Balaji Healthcare Hospital in Pashcim Vihar area, was said to be in a serious condition and unfit to give a statement to the police.
The resident doctor was found lying unconscious and injured in her hostel room at the hospital on Sep 21 when her sister went to visit her. The sister went to the hostel after the doctor failed to turn up at their home.
"She was lying unconscious on the floor with needle marks on her arms and strangulation marks on her throat. It could be clearly seen that she had been raped and then efforts were made to strangulate her," said the victim's brother-in-law Ashwani Jain.
"We took her to the emergency ward of the hospital, but later we shifted her to the intensive care unit of a private hospital. Her condition is grave," Jain added.
Authorities of the state-run ESI hospital told the police that the woman doctor - a general physician of their hospital, hailing from Punjab - was found unconscious and brutally injured in her hostel room. She was admitted to the emergency ward of the same hospital.
"We immediately informed the police after seeing strangulation and injury marks on her body. It seems that she was also given poison," J.N. Mohanti, Medical Superintendent of ESI hospital, told reporters.
Mohanti did not deny the rape allegations.
The police said a special team has been immediately formed to probe the case.
"Doctors informed us that there were strangulation marks on her neck and injuries on her private parts. She was hurt badly and for better treatment she has been shifted to a private hospital," said a senior police official.
"The doctors at the private hospital said that she is still critical and not fit to make any statement," the official told IANS.
"We have registered a case of attempt to rape and murder against unknown people. But it seems that the victim was raped. We will convert it into a rape case after taking her statement," the official told IANS.
The police said she sustained injuries while resisting. "She might have been given poison through a syringe."
"Initial investigations suggest that the accused were familiar to the victim. We have identified them and would make arrests only after the victim's statement. We hope to record her plea in the next two days," the official said.