The city police are still without any leads to the identity of the woman who kidnapped a one-day-old girl from Government Kilpauk Hospital on Saturday. Senior police officers visited the hospital on Sunday to investigate.
According to an officer, the hospital’s CCTV cameras stream only live video and have no recording facility. Therefore, he said, it was difficult to identify the woman.
“We have been making enquiries with the hospital authorities and patients, but are yet to get a clear description of the woman,” he said.
The incident has brought into focus the poor security arrangements in the city’s government hospitals. The kidnapping was carried out despite the presence of CCTV cameras and security outside the labour ward. Following the kidnapping, KMC authorities said they would replace the security guard posted at the labour ward.
At present, the security guards posted in government hospitals are outsourced. Surveillance cameras were installed at government hospitals, particularly maternity hospitals, to monitor the entry of strangers into labour wards and post-natal wards.
These cameras are linked to a control room, usually located in the office of the institution’s head.
