Joyous return: Stolen baby back in mother’s arms

Child recovered by police two years after being taken from BB hospital

RAWALPINDI: The Waris Khan police on Monday recovered a toddler who had been kidnapped from Benazir Bhutto Hospital in Rawalpindi some two years back and returned him to his parents.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Assistant Sub Inspector Muhammad Atif, the investigation officer, said that after the initial incident, Mehrban Hussain had reported that his newborn son had gone missing from the gynecology ward of the hospital.

He said an FIR was registered an investigation team led by Superintendent Rawal circle Karamatullah Malik had started an investigation.

The team eventually traced the child and raided a house on Girja Road in Chak Jalaldin.

He said that a woman identified as Shakeela, who was in the same ward as Hussain’s wife, had a stillbirth the same day Hussain’s child was born. He said Shakeela then allegedly decided to kidnap Hussain’s child at night. ASI Atif explained that the investigation team had to go through hospital records, interrogate nurses and ward staff before finding their suspect. During interrogation, Shakeela allegedly confessed to the child snatching and also revealed the names of her accomplices — Sifarish Khan and Shamsa Kanwal. The toddler is presently with his parents.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2014.