SAMBALPUR: Stealing of newborn babies from hospitals seems to be growing by the day. After incidents in Khurda and Cuttack earlier this month, a fresh case was reported from Sambalpur’s District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) on Friday.
A newborn boy went missing from the Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) Ward of the DHH on the wee hours of Friday. The child’s father, Aniruddha Majhi (32), has lodged a complaint in the Town police station in this regard.Majhi of Amilipani village under Jujumura block of the district stated that he had admitted his wife Gitanjali (25) in the DHH on Wednesday where she delivered a baby boy on Thursday. However, the newborn went missing from the O&G Ward of the hospital, he said.
Gitanjali’s mother Malati Bhue (55) said her daughter delivered the baby around 12 noon through Caesarean on Thursday.
Malati said, “An unidentified woman, draped in yellow shawl, had come to the Ward on Thursday afternoon and requested to cuddle the baby but I refused as the baby was sleeping, and the woman left.”
In the night, Malati said she was sleeping near the bed and Aniruddha was keeping a watch on his newborn. But, he dozed off.
Gitanjali woke up around 3 am and raised an alarm on not finding her newborn, Malati said. The attendants of some patients in the ward said a woman in yellow shawl was wandering in the ward and is suspected to have stolen the baby, she added.
Chief District Medical Officer, Sambalpur, Kodanda Rao said the staff informed the police immediately after getting information about the incident. The hospital has three security guards but it is not possible for them to keep a watch on the entire hospital as there are many entrances, he added.
After the incident, Rao said it has been decided to issue entry cards to the attendants and only two attendants will be allowed to stay with the patients.
Inspector-in-charge of Town police station, PK Sahu, said CCTV footage is being analysed and hoped that the baby will be traced soon.