Maharashtra cops rescue newborn baby hours after kidnapping at government hospital

The police on Tuesday rescued a four-day-old baby just hours after she was kidnapped from the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Maharashtra's Chandrapur city, an official said.

The infant was rescued and the accused woman was arrested from Hinganghat in neighbouring Wardha district, he said.

The accused got admitted to the maternity ward of the hospital on June 17 and got acquainted with a woman who had given birth to a girl and helped her, inspector S R Rajput of city police station said.

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The mothers were recuperating in ward no 15, while the babies were kept in the adjacent ward no 14. Around 6 am, the accused took the baby from the ward claiming that she was taking her to the mother for feeding, he said.

The infant was soon reported missing from the ward and the police were informed, he said.

Senior policemen swung into action and roped in the cyber cell, local crime branch, personnel from Bhadravati, Warora, Hinganghat, Jam and other police stations, the official said.

"We examined the CCTV footage and launched a search for the woman. The accused was traced with the help of MSRTC officials and Wardha police," he said.

The accused was apprehended from Hinganghat around 11 am and the baby was handed over to her parents, the official said.