One drives away from the cuckoo’s nest

HYDERABAD: A patient undergoing treatment at a psychiatric hospital ran away with the car of a friend who was visiting him on Monday. He had requested to listen to music in the car, but escaped after kicking the driver out of the vehicle.

Thirty-year-old Mumtaz Ali Shah was admitted at the Sir Cowasjee Jehangir psychiatric hospital in Hussainabad, Hyderabad, on June 12 by his brother, who claimed that he was an addict and is unwilling to seek treatment.

The hospital was keeping him under observation at their emergency ward as part of their usual procedure to determine whether or not he was mentally ill, said the medical superintendent Paryal Channa.

His friend from Tando Allahyar, Dr Ghulam Muhammad Jaskani, visited him at the hospital on Monday, when Shah requested to listen to music in his car. Jaskani handed over his car keys to Shah and asked the driver to accompany him to the car.

Shah was listening to music when suddenly he kicked the driver out of the car and drove away.

The hospital staff panicked once they realised that Shah was missing along with the car. They called the police who put the entire city’s force on high alert and established check posts at different locations to track down Shah and the car, bearing licence plate AGX-919.

However, until last report, Shah and the car were still missing.

The hospital’s duty officer, Sanaullah, blamed Jaskani for the mess. Jaskani willingly gave Shah his car keys when he said he wanted to listen to songs and that is why he managed to escape, he said.

Shah, a resident of Matiari, was married a year ago and did not have any children. He belonged to the ‘zamindar’ [landlord] family in the area.

His friend from Matiari, Hayat Domki, informed Daily Express that Shah was an employee with the railways department but he quit his job some time ago. He told his friends, when he was moving to Hyderabad, that he has found a job as a newspaper reporter.

The medical superintendent at Sir Cowasjee Jehangir psychiatric hospital said that if Shah had not shown signs of any mental illness, he would have been released at the end of seven days.

At least 150 patients visit the out-patients’ department at Sir Cowasjee Jehangir psychiatric hospital every day. Those with serious mental illnesses are admitted for treatment while others are given medicines and treated at regular visits.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 15^th, 2010.