Infant allegedly kidnapped from Delhi's GTB Hospital, FIR registered

Delhi: In a shocking incident, a one-and-a-half-month-old infant was allegedly abducted from Delhi’s Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital on Thursday afternoon after his mother briefly left him in the care of a woman she had just met to fetch drinking water, police said. 

An FIR has been registered at the GTB Enclave police station against an unidentified person under Section 137(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with kidnapping. Police said an investigation into the incident is underway, the Daily reported. 

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According to the complaint, the mother had taken her infant to the hospital’s Maternity and Child Health building around 10:30 am on Thursday for a medical consultation. After meeting a doctor, she went to the hospital pharmacy to collect medicines.

As it was raining heavily, she remained near the pharmacy, the complainant stated.

During this time, a woman wearing a black burqa allegedly approached her and sat beside her. The woman reportedly asked the mother where she lived and claimed that she lived in the same area.

The complaint states that the mother subsequently asked the woman to fetch some drinking water, but she declined. The mother then left her infant in the woman’s care and went to get water herself at around 12.30 pm.

When she returned about five minutes later, both the woman and the infant were missing, the FIR states. The boy had been wrapped in a pink blanket with white edging, the police were told. The mother searched the area but could not find him, and subsequently lodged a complaint with the police, reports the Indian Express.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, hospital staff said they are looking into the matter and clarified that CCTV footage was not available for the area where the alleged incident took place. “We have inquired and found that neither the mother nor the child was admitted to the hospital; they mostly likely were outpatients. We will cooperate with the police and provide all possible help,” a hospital official, asking not to be named, said.

The latest incident is not the first reported case of an infant allegedly being abducted from GTB Hospital.

In May this year, a seven-month-old boy was allegedly abducted from the hospital by an unidentified woman. Police had registered a kidnapping case and initiated an investigation into that incident as well.

Medical Dialogues had previously reported that in a shocking incident, a seven-month-old boy was allegedly kidnapped from Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital on Sunday by an unidentified woman, police said.

The recurrence of such incidents at the hospital has raised concerns about the safety of infants and the need for vigilance in crowded hospital premises.

Also Read:7-month-old missing from GTB Hospital; kidnapping case registered