Malda: In a swift breakthrough, Mothabari Police rescued the 10-day-old baby girl who had been abducted from the Bangitola Rural Hospital on Monday afternoon. Within 24 hours of the incident, police traced the infant to Damodortola in Panchanandapur, where the accused woman had taken the child to her parental home.
The arrested woman has been identified as Pampi Sarkar (21), a resident of Debipur under Ratua Police Station in Malda. According to district police, Pampi stole the baby from the hospital premises and fled to her parents’ home in Damodortola.
Acting on leads gathered from CCTV footage, Mothabari police conducted a raid on Tuesday evening, arrested the accused, and recovered the newborn under a proper recovery memo.
Superintendent of Police Pradeep Kumar Yadav confirmed the developments. “The abducted infant has been safely recovered from the accused’s parental home. The woman has been arrested and is being interrogated to determine whether others were involved,” he said.
Police are now probing the motive behind the abduction and whether the accused had any accomplices. Investigators said that further questioning is underway. The incident had sparked widespread outrage and panic across the district. The baby’s mother, Monira Bibi, a resident of Sultantola in
Panchanandapur, had given birth to the child at the same hospital ten days ago. On Monday, while the infant’s grandmother briefly lost sight of her, a woman dressed in a red saree and red shawl abducted the child on the pretext of affection.
Local residents and the baby’s family expressed relief and gratitude after the safe recovery. Police said the rescued infant will be produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Malda, for necessary action.