SAMBALPUR: The Sambalpur police have formed four special squads to trace the suspected woman involved in theft of a newborn boy from District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) on Friday.
The newborn’s father Aniruddha Majhi had lodged a complaint in the Town police station. His wife Gitanjali (25) delivered a baby boy in the DHH on Thursday. However, the newborn went missing from the O&G Ward of the hospital. Gitanjali’s mother Malati informed that an unidentified woman, draped in yellow shawl, had come to the ward on Thursday afternoon and requested to cuddle the baby.
But Malati 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 she is suspected to have stolen the baby. The entire incident was captured in the CCTV installed in the DHH. Although the child is not visible in the CCTV footage, the movement of the woman looks suspicious and tallies with the time of theft of the newborn.
Collector Samarth Verma visited the hospital on Saturday and met Gitanjali. Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Kodanda Rao has disengaged two security guards, including a female security guard, on charges of dereliction of duty. While the female security guard was posted inside the DHH, the male guard stood outside the DHH. The CDMO said a departmental inquiry has already been initiated and action would be taken against those found responsible.
ASP D R Ray said all angles were being probed and 20 police personnel have been specially deployed to track down the baby. He added that CCTV footages of Sambalpur railway station are being verified and all the police stations in the district, besides neighbouring districts, have been put on alert. Photograph of the suspected woman has been uploaded in the district portal and provided to the Crime Branch.