Masked man removes gold chain from dead body at government hospital in Bihar

A video has gone viral on social media showing a masked young man stealing a gold chain from the neck of a dead body kept outside the registration office of the government Model Sadar Hospital in Siwan, Bihar.

According to the hospital management, the incident took place on Wednesday (October 7, 2026), when the man can be seen removing the chain and leaving the hospital unnoticed. In the nine-second video, he removes the jewellery, puts it in his pocket, and walks away calmly.

Although the hospital ward is equipped with CCTV cameras, no official or staff member noticed the incident at the time; the footage was captured on a mobile phone and later circulated on social media.

It was only after the video went viral on Thursday (October 8, 2026) that hospital staff became aware of the incident and began offering explanations. This is not the first such incident at the hospital; a few days earlier, a family member of a deceased person had alleged that a silver anklet was removed from a body. The hospital management had not taken any action on that complaint.

Reacting to the latest incident, Hospital Superintendent Dr. Anil Kumar Singh said an investigation was under way to identify the man, and that the police would take action soon. The hospital management has filed an FIR at the Siwan Sadar Town police station and handed over the CCTV footage to the police for further investigation.

The deceased was identified as Aarti Devi, 35, wife of Rajan Thakur, a resident of Bangra village in the Maharajganj police station area.

According to the hospital management, she was bitten by a poisonous snake and was referred from Maharajganj Sub-Divisional Hospital to the Model Sadar Hospital for treatment, but died on the way. Her body was placed on a stretcher near the emergency ward of the hospital. The masked man later took the stretcher to a deserted spot in front of the registration counter, where he removed the gold chain from her neck before walking away.

Siwan Civil Surgeon Srinivas Prasad said the hospital management and the police were looking into the matter to identify the person, and that appropriate action would be taken.

The Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) criticised Bihar Health Minister Nishant Kumar over the incident. Sharing the video on X, the RJD accused the Health Department under Mr. Kumar of enabling theft at government hospitals, alleging staff were stealing from bodies to enrich themselves, and raised questions over security arrangements and staff conduct at the hospital.