Ohio hospital worker rapes mental health patient strapped to bed, police say

A “substantially impaired” patient at an Ohio hospital was strapped for safety, then raped by one of the employees, police said. 

A 24-year-old woman was a patient at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and was being held in a private room for mental health reasons, police said.

The female patient was “substantially impaired” and was strapped to the bed by her wrists and ankles for her own safety. Arafat Siddiquee, an employee of the hospital, was placed as the woman’s “sitter,” according to authorities.

It was then, police say, Siddiquee sexually assaulted the victim. 

OhioHealth told ABC 6, "We are aware that a patient alleges that she was sexually assaulted while receiving care at one of our hospitals. Upon notification, we immediately began an internal investigation, contacted law enforcement and placed the associate named in the complaint on administrative leave. That associate no longer works for OhioHealth.”

A rape kit was used and it revealed DNA that later was matched to Siddiquee, police said.

OhioHealth went on to say that they are “fully cooperating with law enforcement as they conduct their investigation. The safety of our patients is our highest priority and we are working to ensure we continue to provide a safe environment of care for all of our patients."

Siddiquee was booked into Franklin County Jail and remains there. Bond has not been set in his case.