Another patient of a Sydney mental health hospital has absconded, days after two men escaped from the facility and later allegedly killed three people in separate incidents. NSW Police issued an appeal on Sunday to help locate 25-year-old Madan Pandey.

He was last seen on Saturday morning about 9:30am leaving Cumberland Hospital at Westmead, wearing a black T-shirt with black shorts.
"When he could not be located or contacted, officers attached to Parramatta Police Area Command were notified and commenced inquiries into his whereabouts," police said in a statement.

"Police and family have concerns for his welfare."
He has been described as being of Middle Eastern/Mediterranean appearance, with short black hair and full beard and moustache.

Other escapes from the hospital
The hospital is under a formal investigation after two patients who escaped from its care within 24 hours went on to allegedly cause three people’s deaths.

Setefano Mooniai Leaaetoa, 25, early last week allegedly stabbed three people on a busy shopping strip in Merrylands, killing one and critically injuring the others. Ten days earlier, he had been in mental health custody at Cumberland Hospital before escaping while being transferred to Westmead Hospital's emergency department.

In a separate incident, Luke Peter Francis is accused of causing a crash which killed a 60-year-old woman and her 84-year-old passenger at Camden on Saturday, February 14. Mr Francis had escaped from the same hospital one week before the incident.It is understood the 31-year-old allegedly threatened a nurse before taking an access card and absconding from the hospital.

According to data provided to the ABC by NSW Health, patients are three times more likely to abscond from Cumberland Hospital than any other mental health unit in the state. On average, one patient absconds from an acute mental health unit in NSW every 4,348 days. At Cumberland Hospital, it happens every 1,333 days.

abc.net.au, 22-2-2026, Paulina Vidal