KALLAKURICHI: High drama unfolded at the Kallakurichi Government Medical College Hospital on Saturday when a newborn was allegedly kidnapped by a woman, only to be rescued following a swift search by relatives and locals.
According to police, Divya (23) of Indili village, who was admitted for her second delivery on August 2, gave birth to a baby boy via C-section on August 6. The infant was kept in the ICU of the neonatal ward under the care of Divya’s mother, Gandhi, and mother-in-law, Thangamani.
In the early hours of Saturday, around 4.30 am, Gandhi stepped out to use the restroom while Thangamani was asleep. Moments later, Gandhi returned to find the baby missing. Police said her cries for help triggered a search by relatives and other staff, and information emerged that a woman had been seen walking away with a baby in her arms.
Locals tracked the suspect to the Mandaiveli area, less than a kilometre from the hospital, where she was allegedly hiding with the infant. The baby was rescued by the public and handed over to hospital authorities, while the woman was caught and assaulted by an angry crowd before being handed over to the police, sources said.
Police identified the suspect as R Lakshmi (29) of Pandiankuppam near Chinnasalem, a labourer in Kerala. Officers said Lakshmi, childless in her second marriage for five years, had allegedly claimed to her husband that she was pregnant and planned to present the kidnapped baby as her own. She has a son and a daughter from her first marriage, with the daughter living with her and the son with her former husband.
Lakshmi, who sustained injuries in the mob attack, was admitted to hospital under police custody. Further investigation is under way to determine if she intended to sell the child.