Kerala Police have arrested an ambulance driver for allegedly raping a 19-year-old COVID-19 positive girl at Aranmula in Pathanamthitta district.

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The accused has been identified. According to the police, the test results of the alleged victim who was in quarantine at her relative's house in Panthalam had returned positive on September 5. "Health workers sent two women in an ambulance to two different hospitals. After dropping one patient, the driver took the victim girl to a lonely place and sexually assaulted her. Later he dropped her at the COVID-19 care centre around midnight," police said. Aranmula police arrested the driver in the night itself on the basis of the girl's statement and charged him with rape.

The Kerala health minister in a statement said that she has directed the company- operational partner of state health department's '108 ambulance service' to dismiss the driver. She also said the incident was shocking and directed the police to take action to ensure strong punishment to the accused.