"Sorry, Did Not Know": Thief In Haryana Returns Covid Vaccine With Note

The police said they are trying to track the thief and have filed a case over the theft from Jind General Hospital's storeroom

The thief left this note along with the bag of vaccines that was stolen

Mohammed Ghazali, Edited by Debanish Achom: April 22, 2021, Chandigarh: A thief who had fled with a bag containing over 1,700 doses of COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday in Haryana's Jind later had a change of heart. The unknown accused returned the haul and also left a note saying he didn't know about the contents of the bag while whisking it away.

"Sorry, I didn't know it was medicines for corona," the thief wrote in Hindi in the note attached to the returned bag full of Covishield and Covaxin doses.

The police are now tracking the thief and have filed a case into the theft from the Jind General Hospital's storeroom.

Around noon, the thief gave the bag to a man at a tea shop outside the Civil Lines police station. The unknown accused left after telling the man that he was delivering food for the police and needed to run another errand.

The police suspect the thief may have stolen the vaccines mistaking them to be the anti-viral drug Remdesivir.

Jind: The police said they are trying to track down the thief

Starting May 1, India is expanding its COVID-19 vaccination drive to include those above 18. The registration for this category will open on April 28. The inoculation process and the documents to be submitted for it remain the same. 

 'Sorry, didn't know': Thieves leave stolen Covid-19 vaccines at tea stall in Haryana's Jind

A little over 12 hours after they broke into the storeroom of a vaccination centre in Haryana's Jind, thieves left behind 622 doses of stolen Covid-19 vaccines at a tea stall along with a note apologising for the theft.

Satender Chauhan Jind, India Today, April 22, 2021: Thieves, who had stolen vials of Covishield and Covaxin from a hospital in Haryana, returned the vaccines 12 hours later. Police officials say the thieves even left behind a note apologising for stealing the vaccines at a time when states are struggling to cope with demand for the life-saving jab. 

On Thursday, locals found 622 stolen doses of Covid-19 vaccines at a tea stall outside the Civil Lines police station in Haryana's Jind. A total of 182 doses of Covishield and 440 doses of Covaxin have been recovered, said the police. 

A note was also found alongside the vials saying that those who stole them did not know that they were coronavirus vaccines. 

Some clues that may lead the police to the identities of the thieves have also been recovered. 

The Civil Surgeon has sought information from officials about whether the recovered vials can be used or not. 

When was theft of vaccines reported 

Earlier on Thursday, nearly 171 vials of Covid-19 vaccines, including 440 doses of Covaxin and 1,270 doses of Covishield were stolen from the storeroom of the PP Centre General Hospital in Jind. Initial reports indicated that the thieves left medicines and cash kept inside the storeroom untouched. 

The Covid-19 vaccination centre storeroom in Jind thieves broke into on Thursday morning (Photo Credits: Satender Chauhan/India Today)

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the Jind Civil Hospital, Dr Bimla Rathi said officials reached the vaccination centre on Thursday morning only to find that the storeroom had been broken into. Jabs, including BCG and polio vaccines, remained untouched while Covid-19 vaccines were reported stolen. 

A case was registered against unidentified persons in this regard. 

It was also reported that there were neither CCTV cameras or security guards outside the storeroom to prevent the theft of Covid-19 vaccines.