A one-day-old baby boy was stolen from the maternity ward of the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) here on Saturday. A stranger, who told the child’s mother that she knew many of her family members, took the baby from the cradle placed next to the mother’s bed and vanished.
Meenakshi of Poonampatti in Vadipatti taluk near here gave birth to a healthy male baby at the GRH on Friday.
The woman took away the baby just minutes before the doctors were to make their rounds.
On information, a police team rushed to the hospital. Women police gathered details of the stranger from the mother who was in a state of shock. Police are scanning the CCTV footage collected from the surveillance cameras installed at the maternity ward.
“The lady who took away my baby mentioned the names of my in-laws and other relatives who were sitting outside the ward. I thought she took the baby to them,” Ms.Meenakshi told the police and the hospital authorities.
N.Mohan, Dean, GRH, told reporters that since the CCTV images were clear it would not be difficult for the police to trace the woman.
“We are confident that the woman would be nabbed,” he added.
Officials said when the stranger entered the maternity ward and befriended the mother to take away the baby, hospital employees, including staff nurses, were just watching. They did not even object to the baby being taken out of the ward without the mother, they noted.
Collector Anshul Mishra was informed of the incident and steps would be taken to strengthen surveillance at the hospital, the officials added.
