Still missing: Police remain clueless in newborn abduction case

Say raids being conducted to apprehend woman suspected of kidnapping the infant .

ABBOTABAD:

Police remain literally clueless over the disappearance of a newborn allegedly kidnapped from the Women and Children Hospital in Abbottabad on Saturday.

Law enforcers have been searching for the woman suspected of kidnapping the child, but there has been no progress in tracing the baby or the suspect’s whereabouts till the filing of this report.

Muhammad Bashir from Bagnotor Village said his 20-year-old wife Irum Bibi gave birth to their first child, a baby boy, after a C-Section. He said while she was recovering in Gynecology Ward B, a woman who introduced herself as Faiza struck a friendship with his wife. Bashir added the woman, pretending to be the attendant of another patient in the same ward, would help Irum with her medication and help care for the baby.

When Bashir left the mother and newborn to buy medicines on Saturday, Faiza advised Irum to seek spiritual help and not rely solely on medical treatment. “She asked for permission to take the baby to a saint living in a neighbouring area for damm.” Bashir said the woman was convincing and his wife was unable to refuse.

However, when the baby remained missing for over an hour and a half, Irum informed her husband and the hospital staff that Faiza had disappeared with the baby. Based on the complaint of the couple, the Cantonment police registered criminal a case against a ward boy, who was also missing from duty. The FIR was filed under sections 363, 364 A of the PPC. However, the police have yet to recover the baby after 24 hours.

According to hospital sources, the security guard and the maid were also absent from duty on Saturday for unknown reasons.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, SI Manzoor Khan said the accused remained at large, but raids were being carried out to apprehend her. He suspected Faiza could be part of a larger gang which kidnaps newborns and sells them to childless couples.

Khan added the involvement of hospital staff could not be ruled out. There was a similar case a few months ago when a newborn was abducted from the Ayub Medical Complex and the hospital staff was found to be involved. The baby was recovered after three days.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th, 2014.