Telangana Police have busted an inter-state medical equipment theft racket with the arrest of two individuals accused of stealing ventilators from the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Adilabad. According to police, the accused entered the government hospital on October 30 posing as medical technicians before stealing four ventilators from wards where critically ill patients were receiving emergency treatment. The stolen equipment was then transported to Maharashtra with plans to sell it through illegal channels.

Investigators said the accused contacted a Hyderabad-based medical equipment dealer, who allegedly agreed to purchase the ventilators despite knowing they had been stolen. Acting on specific information, police intercepted the suspects during a vehicle inspection near the Adilabad Regional Transport Office (RTO). When the occupants attempted to flee, officers chased and detained them. During questioning, police uncovered details of a larger network involved in stealing expensive medical equipment from government hospitals across multiple states.

Police revealed that the gang had previously carried out similar thefts at government hospitals in Maharashtra and Nizamabad, with the stolen equipment allegedly sold to the same Hyderabad-based dealer. Authorities arrested two accused while another suspect remains absconding. Officers recovered four ventilators from Adilabad RIMS, an additional ventilator and an NST machine stolen from Nizamabad Government Hospital, and a fetal monitor and diathermy machine stolen from hospitals in Maharashtra. Police also seized Rs 1 lakh in cash, along with a motorcycle and a car used in the alleged crime, as the investigation continues.