Cradle snatchers: Infant abducted from hospital
Female ‘guards’ took the baby after telling mother she wasn’t allowed inside.
FAISALABAD:
An unidentified woman kidnapped a five-month-old baby from the DHQ hospital on Tuesday night.
According to police officials, the infant was taken from the paediatric ward at the DHQ hospital on Tuesday evening, where he was taken from a hospital staff member.
Chak No 109 GB resident Naseem Bibi told reporters that she had come to the hospital for medicine after she had been suffering from a fever for a few days. “They thought I might have the dengue fever and told me to get tested in the general ward.
When I tried to go in a female security guard told me that no minors were allowed inside,” Naseem said. “She told me that she would take the child back to my husband who was waiting in the lobby. When I came outside they were both gone,” she added.
“We have begun searching for the woman she has mentioned but she was not part of our staff. She was probably dressed as a guard because children as young as 5-months are allowed to stay with their mother even in the general wards,” said a nurse at the DHQ hospital.
“There were two women standing by the door and one was dressed as a guard, while the other offered to take my son,” Naseem said. Naseem Bibi said that when she was about to leave for home when she discovered that her son was not with her husband. “We immediately contacted the police,” she added.
When Naseem raised alarm about her missing son a large group of patients and visitors gathered at the hospital and protested against the administration.
The DHQ security guard and other staff members conducted a thorough search for the accused but the women had escaped. “We found no trace of either woman. Police officials are also searching,” she said.
Civil Lines Police Station rushed to the scene and sealed off the main wards to search for the accused. Police officials have taken statements from hospital workers as well as the family.
“We have taken statements and are investigating the whereabouts of the accused,” Inspector Javed said.
When contacted, the DHQ administration said that they had nothing to do with the incident.
“The hospital administration cannot be held responsible for every person that enters the hospital. The woman should not have trusted her child to a stranger,” said DHQ administrator Hameed Gohar.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 8th, 2011.
An unidentified woman kidnapped a five-month-old baby from the DHQ hospital on Tuesday night.
According to police officials, the infant was taken from the paediatric ward at the DHQ hospital on Tuesday evening, where he was taken from a hospital staff member.
Chak No 109 GB resident Naseem Bibi told reporters that she had come to the hospital for medicine after she had been suffering from a fever for a few days. “They thought I might have the dengue fever and told me to get tested in the general ward.
When I tried to go in a female security guard told me that no minors were allowed inside,” Naseem said. “She told me that she would take the child back to my husband who was waiting in the lobby. When I came outside they were both gone,” she added.
“We have begun searching for the woman she has mentioned but she was not part of our staff. She was probably dressed as a guard because children as young as 5-months are allowed to stay with their mother even in the general wards,” said a nurse at the DHQ hospital.
“There were two women standing by the door and one was dressed as a guard, while the other offered to take my son,” Naseem said. Naseem Bibi said that when she was about to leave for home when she discovered that her son was not with her husband. “We immediately contacted the police,” she added.
When Naseem raised alarm about her missing son a large group of patients and visitors gathered at the hospital and protested against the administration.
The DHQ security guard and other staff members conducted a thorough search for the accused but the women had escaped. “We found no trace of either woman. Police officials are also searching,” she said.
Civil Lines Police Station rushed to the scene and sealed off the main wards to search for the accused. Police officials have taken statements from hospital workers as well as the family.
“We have taken statements and are investigating the whereabouts of the accused,” Inspector Javed said.
When contacted, the DHQ administration said that they had nothing to do with the incident.
“The hospital administration cannot be held responsible for every person that enters the hospital. The woman should not have trusted her child to a stranger,” said DHQ administrator Hameed Gohar.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 8th, 2011.