No headway in probe into Delhi radiation leak: Police

The Delhi Police on Tuesday remained clueless about the origin of radioactive Cobalt-60 recovered from a scrap shop in west Delhi last week.

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Tuesday remained clueless
about the origin of radioactive Cobalt-60 recovered from a
scrap shop in west Delhi last week, even as six persons who
were exposed to radiation remained in hospital, two of them in
critical condition.

Investigators are yet to receive any report from the Department of Atomic Energy regarding Cobalt-60 recovered from
Mayapuri scrap market.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Sharad Aggarwal said
they were yet to make any headway in the probe as
investigators could not speak to Deepak Jain, who is in a
critical condition in Apollo Hospital after being exposed to
radiation.

"Jain is in isolation ward. We have not yet spoken to
him. Only he can tell us where he got the material from," he
said.

Asked about reports putting the origin of the radioactive
material to foreign countries, he said it was speculation and
they have not received any report from experts.

AERB experts, along with Department of Atomic Energy
scientists, have safely removed eight bunches of metal scraps
containing sources of Cobalt-60 radioactive isotope from the
West Delhi shop and transported the material to the Narora
Atomic Power Station in Uttar Pradesh.

Jain suffered severe burns and is battling for life at
the Apollo Hospital while five others -- Gaurav, Rajendra
Prasad, Ramjee Yadav, Ram Kalap and Himanshu Jain -- have been
admitted to AIIMS.

One of the five patients admitted to AIIMS is in a
critical condition and is undergoing blood and platelet
transfusion, doctors said.

All the five patients have been kept at an isolated
sterile wing of Medical Ward as they are at a high risk of
infection due to sudden drop in immunity.

They are under close monitoring by a team of experts from
the Departments of Medicine, Medical Oncology, Radiological
Oncology and Hematology under the overall coordination of Dr A
B Dey.

All patients have shown evidence of bone marrow
suppression and have been given Granulocyte Colony Stimulating
Factor (GCSF) to boost their white blood cell counts. They are
also being administered antibiotics for control of infection,
doctors said.

One patient Rajender continues to have severe low WBC
and platelet counts. He has been transfused six units of
platelet transfusion till date, the doctors said.

The level of probable radiation exposure to individual
patients is being assessed through biological dosimetery by
the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) for which blood
samples have already been collected.

PTI

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