Lab Technician Who Took Woman's Vaginal Swab For COVID-19 Test Gets Ten-Year Sentence

A perverted lab technician, who reportedly took a swab sample from a woman’s private parts claiming that it was for a COVID-19 test, has been sentenced to ten years imprisonment in Amravati, Maharashtra, India.

On July 29, 2020, the complainant, who was 24-years-old at the time and worked at a mall, went to the COVID Trauma Centre lab in Amravati along with 20 to 25 co-workers after they were asked to give swab samples as one of their colleagues had tested positive for COVID-19 a few days before, Indiatimes reported.

At the hospital, the accused, Alkesh Ashokrao Deshmukh, a contractual lab technician, took a nasal swab of the complainant. However, after taking the swab, he told her that she had tested positive for the virus and that another swab from her private parts was needed for further tests.

Hearing this, the victim asked for a female technician to conduct the second swabbing. However, the suspect claimed that there were none working at the lab. Deshmukh then took her to a room and took swabs from her private parts himself. The twisted lab technician later told the complainant that she had tested negative for the virus.

After the test, the woman grew suspicious and discussed the incident with her brother. The brother further inquired about the procedure with doctors and came to know that there is no such test for novel coronavirus.

Following this, the woman went to Badnera Police Station and lodged a complaint against the lab technician. The suspect was subsequently booked and taken into custody under rape charges, the Times Of India reported.

The authorities launched an investigation into the incident and the accused was later charged in July 2020 under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty and rape.

A local court heard the matter and a total of 12 witnesses appeared before the court in the case.

After hearing both parties, the court found the accused guilty under Indian Penal Code sections 354 (assault or criminal force on woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 376 (rape) and sentenced him to ten years behind bars.