Child goes missing from RML hospital

Four-yr-old was sleeping under a tree

A four-year-old boy, who was sleeping under a tree next to his parents and two siblings on the premises of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, allegedly went missing under mysterious circumstances.

The police were informed on Monday morning after the mother found the child missing.
 “The mother had gone to the washroom. When she returned, the child was not there.

Her relatives had also woken up by then,” said a relative of the missing child. She said the boy could not have wandered off on his own.

“He never leaves his room and he doesn’t attend school too, so he is not the type who would wander off on his own,” she added.

The police control room got a call at 6.40 am that the boy, Faizan, had gone missing. When police were unable to trace him, a case of kidnapping was filed with Mandir Marg police station.

According to police, Mohammad Sadiq, his wife Zarina Khatoon and their three children, including Faizan, had come to RML Hospital on July 13 from Moradabad for treatment of their elder son Shahid, who is suffering from tuberculosis. He was admitted to ward number 12 of the hospital.

“At 4 am, Khatoon had gone to the washroom and when she returned, Faizan was missing. She looked for him but couldn’t locate him, following which she approached hospital authorities,” said a senior police officer.

The parents told police that they had been sleeping in the same area for the last two days, and it was unlikely that the child had wandered off on his own. Police said the area where Khatoon was sleeping is not under CCTV surveillance. They have questioned the guard and other persons who were in the area. 

Sadiq was inside the ward with his elder son when the incident happened. “We are scanning CCTV footage from the area that leads to the gallery where the family was sleeping,” said a police official.

Hospital authorities are also investigating the matter. “We are also probing the incident,” said Dr T S Sidhu, medical superintendent of RML Hospital.