Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh): A bizarre case of fraud has been reported in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam, where a patient was allegedly held captive in the ICU room by the hospital staff! The accused staff demanded Rs 1 lakh in fees from his wife on the pretext of his medical treatment, stating that the patient slipped into a coma.

The conspiracy surfaced when he walked out of the ICU room and narrated the entire ordeal. Police were informed.

The entire incident has raised questions on the working of the private hospitals, emphasising the need for strict laws and financial restraints.

The victim has been identified as Banti Ninama, a resident of Deendayal Nagar in Ratlam. He was brought to a private hospital after he got injured during a fight.

The video of the incident is going viral on social media, showing Banti walking like a normal healthy person, with medical tapes used in IV drips stuck on his hand and chest, carrying a urine bottle in hand. His wife and mother can be heard accusing the hospital staff of fraud. "They told us that he sustained a fracture in the spinal cord and slipped into a coma. They gave us several prescriptions for medicines and injections. We got it all. Then, they asked us to pay Rs 1 lakh for the treatment. We had to beg money from our relatives and others. We ran pillars to post and managed to arrange Rs 1 lakh."

The staff was busted when the patient started screaming. Worried, his wife went to check. As she peeped in through the small glass window on the ICU door, she was shocked to see five people restraining him.

The victim's wife said that Banti held a pair of scissors in hand and threatened to attack them; that's when the staff finally let him go!