After 9 hrs, newborn recovered from Bagmari

After nine hours of intense search, the newborn who was allegedly stolen from Calcutta Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) was recovered from Bagmari area. The cops found the whereabouts of the accused woman after going through the CCTV footage. Two persons, Chinmayee and Prashant Bej, were arrested in this regard. The male infant was found with them. The accused woman is being interrogated.

The family members of one Saraswati Naskar who had given birth to a baby boy staged demonstration in front of the medical superintendent's room at CMCH after her baby was allegedly stolen from the hospital. Naskar, a resident of Ultadanga gave birth to a baby boy on March 10 after being admitted to the CMCH on March 9. Her family members also alleged that a child trafficking racket has been operating from the hospital. Hospital authorities, however, said that the police will look into the matter. The incident triggered tension inside the hospital campus on Tuesday after the victim reported to the hospital that her baby had gone missing. Soon after it was reported, some of her family members staged demonstration at the hospital and also ransacked some portions of the hospital. Police reached the spot and brought the situation under control.

Hospital authorities, however, said that the police will look into the matter. The incident triggered tension inside the hospital campus on Tuesday after the victim reported to the hospital that her baby had gone missing. Soon after it was reported, some of her family members staged demonstration at the hospital and also ransacked some portions of the hospital. Police reached the spot and brought the situation under control.

The cops came to know after preliminary investigation that a woman entered the gynaecological ward at the Eden Building of the hospital and told the mother that some immunisation programme would be conducted on the baby and took the baby away from his mother. The woman also said that the baby had to be taken immediately otherwise the doctor would leave the hospital. Later, the mother went to another ward where the baby was supposed to be and found that her baby had gone missing. Police are investigating if there was any involvement of a nurse behind the incident. They will also probe some of the hospital staff members in this connection. This is for the first time in the recent past when a child has gone missing from a state-run hospital. Many of the private hospitals across the state are still under scanner after police found the involvement of child trafficking rackets operating from there.

Police had collected the CCTV footages from the Metro station showing a woman carrying a baby wrapped in a cloth. Police said the woman boarded a Kavi Subhas bound Metro from the Central Metro station on Tuesday afternoon.

Police are yet to ascertain her identity and a probe was begun after the family members of the woman lodged a complaint at Bowbazar police station. Video footages of various other Metro stations were also being looked into. Hospital authorities have, however, denied involvement of any staff members of the hospital.