A day-old baby boy was stolen by an unidentified woman from the general ward of Wadia Hospital in Parel on Wednesday. According to officials from the Bhoiwada police station, the incident occurred between 4.30 and 5 pm when a woman wearing an orange sari and a black scarf on her head entered the ward and escaped with the baby. The victim’s mother Jasmin Devdas Naik (28) had delivered the baby at around 8 pm on Tuesday and was taking a walk with her mother in the ward room. However, when they returned, they found the baby missing. The infant’s uncle, Abhishekh Mhagpankar (25) said that the family is still recovering from the shock. “Why would someone steal a baby? I hope the police finds the culprit soon and ensure that justice is served. This act is absolutely unpardonable,” he said. According to the police, an eyewitness, Devidas Sunke, whose wife too had delivered a baby on the same day had seen a woman rushing out of the ward.
“Sunke even asked her to handle the child carefully as it could have fallen down. She must have chosen the visiting hours deliberately as security guards do not frisk people during this time.
She must have also been aware about the absence of CCTV cameras in the hospital. We will soon prepare a sketch and circulate it across police stations. We have registered a case of kidnapping under section 363 of the IPC against an unknown person”, said senior police inspector Vikram Patil of Bhoiwada police station.
When contacted, Dr M.J. Jassawala, medical director of Nowrosjee Maternity Wadia Hospital said, “This happened very suddenly…we are in the process of investigating the incident.”