Woman in Kerala kidnaps newborn to continue relationship with lover

The woman wanted to continue her relationship with her lover by making him believe that it was their child

A woman who kidnapped a newborn from a hospital in Kottayam district, Kerala, on Thursday told the police that she wanted to continue her relationship with her lover by making him believe that it was their child.

Ernakulam resident Neethuraj, 33, kidnapped a newborn girl from the Kottayam medical college hospital on Thursday afternoon. The swift action of police helped in tracing the child while Neethuraj was planning to move to Kochi with the child.

Kottayam district police chief Shilpa Dyavaiah said that Neethuraj wanted to save her relationship with the youth and hence she kidnapped the child to make him believe that it was their child as the youth was planning to marry another woman.

Neethuraj, who is married and has a son, was in a relationship with the youth hailing from Kochi, identified as Ibrahim Badusha. They were learnt to have met through a social networking platform. While Neethuraj, who is said to be an MBA holder, made him believe that she was running an IT firm. Badusha, who is a lorry driver, told her that he was an IT professional.

Neethuraj became pregnant and Badusha and his family were also aware of it. But later it got aborted. Neethuraj did not disclose to Badusha. Recently, she came to know that Badusha was planning to marry another woman. Hence, Neethuraj kidnapped the child with the intention of making Badusha believe that it was their child. Badusha also allegedly collected huge cash and gold from Neethuraj.

Police said that Neethuraj was the lone accused in the case and no one else was involved in the crime. She was staying separated from her husband.

Meanwhile, parents and relatives of the kidnapped child, who hail from the Idukki district, alleged serious lapses on the part of the hospital security authorities. The child's father was allowed to see the child only once after its birth citing restrictions on visitors. Even then Neethuraj managed to kidnap the child by wearing a medical gown. The relatives suspect the role of some security personnel in helping the woman kidnap the child.

According to the police, the woman, dressed as a nurse, entered the gynaecology department of the medical hospital and walked away with the infant at around 3 pm and it took more than half an hour for the child's mother and relatives to realise the baby had been kidnapped.

The Medical College Police was informed about the abduction at around 4 pm and it immediately swung into action and sent messages to all the police stations in the district and around the hospital.

All vehicles arriving from the medical college area were stopped and inspected by police teams and even autorickshaw drivers, ambulance drivers, locals, and medical shop staff in the vicinity of the medical college were told to keep an eye out for the baby, police said.

Subsequently, an autorickshaw driver informed the police that a woman with a baby was seen entering the Park Hotel which was just 100 metres from the hospital.

Police reached the hotel, arrested the woman, and rushed the baby back to its mother at the hospital.

Health Minister Veena George visited the hospital and assured a detailed investigation.

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