VIJAYAWADA : The police traced a two-day-old newborn, who was allegedly kidnapped by a woman posed as a nurse from Machilipatnam Government General Hospital (GGH) early Sunday morning. The police handed over the baby to the parents within two hours.
According to Machilipatnam police, Chitturi Swaroopa Rani from Srikakulam village of Ghantasala mandal, was admitted to Machilipatnam GGH a few days prior and gave birth to a male infant on Friday.
On Saturday night, around 10 pm, the accused, Tammisetti Lakshmi (39), visited the hospital and entered the ward where Swaroopa Rani and her baby were staying. Disguised in a nurse’s uniform, Lakshmi entered Rani’s room under the pretense of assisting her and abducted the baby.
The parents discovered the baby missing shortly after and alerted the police.
The CCTV footage showed Lakshmi carrying the infant wrapped in a cloth and exiting the hospital. Her son was also seen assisting in the crime.
Based on this evidence, the police traced Lakshmi to her residence and rescued the baby. The police revealed that Lakshmi had conducted multiple recces of the hospital, using the nurse’s uniform for easy access.
She took the baby while the mother was in the washroom. The accused and her son were taken into custody for questioning and an investigation is underway.
Minister for Mines and Excise, Kollu Ravindra, visited the hospital, instructing officials to investigate the incident and take appropriate action against the security guard.
A case has been registered against Lakshmi.