HYDERABAD: Nampally police on Wednesday reunited with his parents a six-month-old infant who was abducted from the Niloufer Hospital by a tragedy-stricken couple from Kamareddy who longed for a healthy baby.
The abduction came to light after his mother, Fareeda Begum, lodged a complaint with the Nampally police on September 14 about the disappearance of her infant son. Swinging into action, the police, along with sleuths from Saifabad police station and the Central Zone Task Force, scoured hours of CCTV footage and zeroed in on a couple boarding a bus to Kamareddy from the Jubilee Bus Stand.
Briefing media persons, Central Zone DCP M Venkateshwarlu identified the accused as Katroth Mamtha and Katroth Srinu, who took the drastic step as they wanted a healthy child. The DCP said that Fareeda, accompanied by her mother, had taken her four-year-old son to Niloufer Hospital for treatment.
While her mother attended to the elder son, Fareeda was tending to the younger one outside the ward. Meanwhile, Mamtha approached Fareeda and told her that she was there for her son’s treatment as well and gained her trust.
Trusting her, Fareeda asked Mamtha to watch over her sleeping infant while she went to get something to eat. Upon her return, Fareeda found her son missing, and she immediately suspected the woman she had entrusted her baby with, the DCP said.
After the police arrested Mamtha and Srinu they found the heart-wrenching motive behind the abduction.
The accused, who hails from Kamareddy, had suffered a series of tragedies, losing their twins a few years ago to a genetic disease. Recently, their newborn son was diagnosed with hyperviscosity syndrome.
Desperate for a healthy child, they plotted to kidnap an infant. DCP Venkateshwarlu said: “The accused couple’s painful journey, marred by the loss of their twins and the dire health condition of their newborn, led them to make this unfortunate decision.”