The Chikkamagaluru police have traced a four-day-old baby who was kidnapped from the district hospital on Saturday. The baby was allegedly taken away by a woman enlisted as a Home Guard.
Anjali, wife of Sunil, gave birth to the baby at the hospital on January 1. The couple, both natives of Assam, were working at a factory near here. The accused had made contact with them at the hospital in the last two days. Following the kidnapping, the hospital staff filed a complaint with the police.
The police traced the baby within 24 hours from the time the incident was reported. Superintendent of Police Harish Pandey told presspersons on Sunday that the woman had taken the baby to her residence in Chikkamagaluru town. “She was identified by eyewitnesses and from CCTV footage of the hospital premises. We traced her to her house and rescued the baby. The baby is healthy and has been taken to the ICU,” he said.
The officer said the accused had enlisted as a Home Guard but had not reported for duty for months. On her motive, he said that during the preliminary investigation, the woman told the police that she wanted the baby for herself. However, the police are verifying this.