A 31-year-old man of Indian origin, Jaydeep Patel, a former behavioral health technician at Phoenix Children's Hospital in the United States, has been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing minors. The arrest occurred after authorities discovered over 1,200 photos and videos of child pornography on his electronic devices.
Patel was taken into custody on July 17 and faces nine counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, each classified as a class two felony. If convicted, as a first-time offender, he could face a prison sentence ranging from three to twelve and a half years for each count.
The case emerged in 2024 after law enforcement received online tips regarding a social media profile containing Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM). The tips reportedly originated from an Internet Service Provider known for instant messaging on mobile profiles, including the exchange of chats, images, and videos.
Reports indicate that some of Patel's chat logs revealed explicit requests for child sexual abuse materials for his personal sexual gratification.
Phoenix Children's Hospital has stated that Patel cleared all standard background checks before he was hired.
In a separate case from August 2024, Oumair Aejaz, a 40-year-old doctor of Indian origin, was arrested in the U.S. and held on a $2 million bond. Aejaz faces multiple sex crime charges for allegedly recording nude images and videos of women and children over several years. Authorities became aware of his offenses after his wife came forward with disturbing materials. Before his arrest, he had no prior criminal record.
Aejaz allegedly placed hidden cameras in various locations, including bathrooms, changing areas, hospital rooms, and his own home, and recorded children as young as two years old in varying states of undress. Many allegations against Aejaz stem from an incident in 2023 where he allegedly recorded a mother and her children inside a changing room at the Goldfish Swimming Club. He is also believed to have assaulted patients inside hospital rooms.
During the investigation, authorities served several search warrants and seized computers, phones, and 15 external devices. A single hard drive contained over 13,000 videos. Officials suspect that Aejaz may have also uploaded videos to cloud storage. Aejaz was charged with one count of child sexually abusive activity, four counts of capturing an image of an unclothed person, and five counts of using a computer to commit a crime.
These cases highlight the disturbing issue of medical professionals abusing their positions of trust to exploit and harm vulnerable individuals, including children. It is important to report such incidents to authorities, such as law enforcement or the state's medical licensing board, to prevent further harm and hold perpetrators accountable.
