Cops still in dark about woman who stole baby

HYDERABAD: Twenty four hours after a newborn was stolen from the government hospital in Malakpet, Chaderghat police are clueless about the identity of the burqaclad woman who took away the baby. It has, however, come to light that poor security arrangements only made the woman's escape easier. "We have formed a special team to trace the baby. So far, there have been no clues found,'' Chaderghat inspector Syed Nayeemuddin Javed said. The team visited the hospital on Monday and enquired with other patients and hospital staff about the incident. Sources said the burqaclad woman appeared to be a professional offender as she walked into the hospital confidently carrying a bag as per eyewitnesses.
Since there are no security arrangements in place, she gained access to the hospital without any valid pass. Though the investigators are presently focused on the family dispute angle saying the abduction had got something to do with the child's parents, sources said such abductions are not new in government hospitals and in most times, the motive is not family disputes. A child was stolen in similar fashion from Niloufer hospital sometime back but has not been traced till date. Mehboob Begum had delivered a male baby in the early hours of Saturday. With condition of the woman and her son stable, they were shifted to the maternity ward. In the ward, a burqaclad woman approached Mehboob and introduced herself as Shajahan and claimed her kin was also admitted. Later, she escaped with the newborn.