A Southern California anesthesiologist suspected of sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl and a 36-year-old woman while they were under anesthesia is in police custody after Placentia-Linda Hospital officials notified law enforcement of the allegations.

Hospital employees allegedly witnessed Yashwant Giri, MD, assaulting the girl while she was recovering from surgery but still under anesthesia in February 2009. Last March, employees again allegedly witnessed him assaulting the woman during a surgical procedure.

The hospital says its internal investigation of the 2009 allegation was "inconclusive," according to Placentia, Calif., Police Detective Corinne Loomis. "The doctor denied the allegations and they didn't believe they had enough to substantiate, so they concluded there wasn't anything more to do with it," she told KABC-TV Los Angeles.

When the new allegation was raised in March, the hospital launched another internal investigation and notified the Placentia Police Department on April 12. Police picked up Dr. Giri, who resigned from the hospital's staff last month, on charges of felony sexual battery and penetration with a foreign object. He is still in custody, with bail set at $100,000.

"We have reported the incidents to the California Department of Public Health, the medical board and local authorities, and we are cooperating fully with their investigations," said a hospital official in a statement to reporters.

Dr. Giri was not directly employed by Placentia-Linda and reportedly also worked at West Anaheim Medical Center, Anaheim Regional Medical Center and Western Medical Center-Anaheim.

"We are concerned that there are potentially other victims out there," Ms. Loomis told the OC Register. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call (714) 993-8194.

Irene Tsikitas

Photo of Yashwant Giri, MD, courtesy of Orange County District Attorney's Office.