Arrest due to misunderstanding

By Sithum Chaturanga

The ambulance driver of Vavuniya General Hospital and a hospital employee had been arrested on misunderstanding that they attempted to abduct a lady doctor. Investigations revealed that the doctor, under the impression that they were taking her to a lonely spot had jumped out of the ambulance.

The driver of the ambulance that transported meals to the Ayurvedic hospital in Paimpemadu had agreed to give a lift to the lady doctor at her request, to drop her off at the new bus stand. When the driver turned the ambulance to take a shortcut to the bus stand, the doctor feared that they were attempting to abduct her had jumped out of the vehicle. People gathered at the scene had got hold of the driver and the hospital employee and handed them over to Nelumkulam police.

Under interrogation, the driver told police that he took a short cut to the bus stand and that the doctor who could speak only in the Sinhala language failed to understand what he told her in Tamil had misunderstood that he was attempting to abduct her.

When the police explained it to the lady doctor she realized that miscommunication had resulted in the incident. The parties came to an amicable settlement without further action.