HAVERI: In a shocking incident, a woman dressed as a nurse stole a two-day-old baby from a hospital in the Haveri district on Saturday evening. In a swift operation, the police arrested her and rescued the baby.
The baby’s parents hail from Shishuvin Hall village of Byadagi taluk in the Haveri district.
The accused woman dressed as a nurse entered the labour ward of the hospital by saying she wanted to administer a vaccine to the newborn. The unsuspecting family members handed the baby to her. When the accused did not return, the family members started searching for her.
The hospital told them there was no nurse by the name the woman had introduced herself to the family. Immediately, a case was registered in the women’s police station in Haveri. As the incident was captured on CCTV, it was easy for the police to trace the accused. The accused confessed to stealing the baby and said she did it as she does not have a child despite being married for five years.
“The accused used to work as a nurse in a Bengaluru hospital. She wore her old uniform and entered the hospital. Unable to handle the baby after she started crying, the woman returned the baby but went back. Based on the CCTV footage and colour of the clothes, the baby was rescued,” said an officer.
Hanumantappa Patil, the baby’s grandfather and the complainant, said the nurse did not allow the family members to accompany her to the vaccination ward. “When she did not return for more than 30 mins, we started searching for her,” he said.