Woman steals 13-hour-old baby, walks out of Vani Vilas Hospital

A 13-hour-old baby girl was stolen from Vani Vilas hospital on Wednesday. A woman walking away with the infant has been captured on the CCTV cameras of the hospital.

On July 12, Heena Devi admitted her daughter Rekha to the hospital after she complained of labour pains. They are from Rajasthan and live in Babusapalya on the Outer Ring Road. Rekha had come to her mother’s house for the delivery.

On July 13, around 2.25 am, Rekha gave birth to a baby girl. In the afternoon, the hospital staff handed over the baby to Heena Devi as Rekha had to undergo treatment due to some complications.

The grandmother took the baby in her arms and sat in the portico in front of the labour ward. A woman, aged around 40 years, sat next to Devi and struck up a conversation. A few minutes later, Devi asked the woman for directions to the restroom.

The woman showed her the way and even accompanied her. As they reached the restroom, Devi gave the baby to the woman and asked her to stay there till she returned, police said.

When Devi returned from the restroom, she found both the woman and the baby missing. She looked around but there was no sight of the infant.

She informed the hospital authorities who went to the police outpost on the hospital premises. Devi and the hospital authorities lodged separate complaints.

A senior police officer said, “The hospital staff and the security guards should have been alert. It is also negligence on the woman’s part to give the baby to a stranger. The woman walking away with the baby is captured by the CCTV cameras. We are making efforts to trace the baby and identify the woman.”

A doctor from Vani Vilas Hospital said the baby was handed over to Devi as Rekha was suffering from blood loss and had to undergo some medical procedure. Devi says the woman asked her about the baby’s gender and that she doesn’t know anything else about her.

The security guards should have checked the people before letting them go out of the premises, which is usually done. A notice has been served to the private security agency, which has deployed its men, the doctor said.