COIMBATORE: Staffers of a private hospital in Coimbatore on Monday thrashed a man, who was allegedly stealing metal pipes from the hospital, which resulted in his death. Following this, eight people, including the vice-president of the leading hospital, were arrested on various charges, including murder.

According to police, the deceased, P Raja from Gandhi Maa Nagar, used to frequent Kovai Medical Center and Hospital (KMCH) posing as a plumber and stole pipes. After repeated instances, the staff checked CCTV footage from the premises and allegedly identified him to be the culprit.

When Raja came again to the hospital on Monday, the staff caught him red-handed and thrashed him. As he fell unconscious, he was admitted to the hospital for treatment. However, he died without responding to treatment at night.

On receiving an alert, the Peelamedu police registered a case of suspicious death. In a complaint, R Narayanan, vice-president of KMCH hospital, claimed that Raja, who was caught by security staff for stealing, suddenly complained of chest pain and was treated in the emergency ward of the hospital.

However, Raja’s wife Suganya filed a complaint alleging that her husband was beaten to death by hospital staff. She claimed that her husband had gone for treatment in the hospital.

On Wednesday, the family members of the deceased held a protest refusing to receive the body from the Government Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) after a post-mortem examination.

Following an inquiry, the Peelamedu police arrested Narayanan, along with seven other staff identified as Ramesh, Saravanakumar, Sasi, Suresh, Saravan Kumar, Manikandan, and Sathish Kumar.

They were booked on IPC sections, including 302 (murder), 342 (wrongful confinement), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence or offence or giving false information), and 147 (rioting).