COVID-19: 'Tout' demands Rs 60,000 for hospital bed in MP

An audio clip of a suspected tout demanding Rs 60,000 from family members of a COVID-19 patient for securing a bed in the state-run Super Speciality Hospital here in Madhya Pradesh has gone viral, prompting the management to seek a probe by the police.

In the audio clip, a voice can be heard asking an unidentified member of the patient's family to pay Rs 60,000 for securing a bed in the hospital of the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College.

''Taking cognisance of the viral clip, we have written a letter to the police for a probe,'' said College Dean Dr Sanjay Dixit.

A total of 91,015 people have so far tested positive for coronavirus in Indore district since March 24, 2020. The count of COVID-19 fatalities in the district is 1,054, as per officials.