The Surat Crime Branch have booked a driver of an 108 ambulance after an audio clip went viral where the accused is allegedly heard claiming that bodies of 70-80 people, who died of Covid-19, are lying in the Surat Civil Hospital. An FIR has been filed at the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) police station in Surat against Ramesh Bhai under section 54 of the Disaster Management Act for spreading false information. According to the FIR, an audio clip of 8 minutes and 19 seconds of a telephonic conversation between Ramesh and one Chandubhai went viral on WhatsApp. The initial minutes of the conversation allegedly include Ramesh making claims of counting 70-80 bodies at the Surat Civil Hospital to his acquaintance Chandubhai. “On July 12, an audio clip of a 108 ambulance driver named Rameshbhai went viral which was full of baseless and exaggerated content. The accused claimed that 70-80 bodies are lying in the Civil Hospital for which he has to do the burial/cremation process. The audio clip which claims that there is no space in the hospital can create an atmosphere of fear and chaos in the public amid the ongoing pandemic. The accused has been booked and a probe has been launched in the matter,” read a statement from the office of DCB Surat.
