12-day baby stolen by woman who wanted a boy, rescued

NEW DELHI: Six hours after a 12-day-old baby boy was stolen from Babu Jagjivan Ram (BJRM) hospital in northwest Delhi, police rescued him safely from a 25-year-old woman and handed him over to his parents.

Police said Ruby, the woman who stole the infant from the hospital, has three daughters and wanted a boy. Her youngest daughter is just 15 days old.

CCTV footage showed a woman carrying the infant under yellow shawl and walking out of ward number 1. Though two women were standing outside the gate of the ward, they did not suspect anything amiss.

The incident took place around 6am on Friday inside the hospital after the boy’s mother, Soni Updhyay, had stepped out of her bed to use the washroom.

“When I came back, I found my son was missing. It was early morning and most of the patients were asleep. The hospital staff did not pay attention to my request when I cried for help. I had to call my husband,” the 23-year-old mother said. .

Police said the woman’s husband, Sunil Pandey, 27, reached hospital and filed a complaint at Jhangirpuri police station. Separate teams were formed to nab the woman after the CCTV footage was scanned. Deputy commissioner of police (northwest), Milind Mahadeo Dumbere said, “We checked if any such incident has taken place earlier. Teams conducted raids . After sometime she came back and handed over the infant to our staff .”

The infant ‘Kartik’ was hospitalised since his birth as he was unwell. Pandey was not allowed to stay in the hospital at night. The couple were married last year, Kartik was their first child.

Police said Ruby had spotted Updhayay with the infant a few days back inside the hospital and made a plan to steal him. But police presence forced her to come back . Ruby stays with her husband Gopal Yadav, 29. The family hails from Azamgarh in UP and had been living in Bawana for the last six years. Police suspect the lady was disturbed because of taunts from in-laws against the birth of CCTV footage showed 25-year-old Ruby carrying the infant under yellow colour shawl and walking out of the hospital ward number 1

The incident took place around 6am on Friday inside the Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital

The infant’s mother had stepped out of her bed to use the washroom

daughters. Police have arrested the woman under the kidnapping charges and case has been registered.