Bhubaneswar: Four specialized teams have been constituted to track down the suspect involved in the theft of a newborn baby boy from Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) in Burla, Sambalpur.
A couple from Chhattisgarh filed a complaint stating that their newborn baby boy was stolen by an unidentified woman from the hospital, said sources.
As per reports, Geeta Das, wife of Mohan Das of Basan police station area of Mahasamund district in Chhattisgarh, was admitted to the Gynecology and Obstetrics Department of VIMSAR on November 24. She gave birth to a baby boy on November 25. Since Geeta’s admission, an unknown woman successfully established a rapport with Geeta’s sister to execute her plan.
Since Geeta’s sister was new to VIMSAR, she was unfamiliar with the hospital’s procedures. The woman offered assistance, claiming she was from Sambalpur. She won rust by helping locate the canteen within the hospital premises, and assisting in bringing food from the canteen, said sources.
Yesterday afternoon, while the family was having lunch, the suspect woman was seen playing with the baby, cradling him in her arms. Under the pretext of taking the baby for a stroll, she slipped away. CCTV footage captures her comfortably walking out with the baby. Following the complaint, police investigated the CCTV cameras and launched a search operation.
After the news surfaced, district administration formed four teams have been formed to apprehend the suspect. Following the incident, a massive search operation is underway, with police blocking and combing various locations in the city.
Alerts have been sent to neighbouring districts, and the suspect’s photo has been shared with local police stations.
The baby’s father, Mohan Das, initially reported the incident to VIMSAR hospital authorities and later to Burla police station.
The hospital administration has also constituted a team to investigate the incident. “We are cooperating fully with the police and conducting our inquiry,” said VIMSAR Director Dr. Lal Mohan Naik.
Police suspect a well-planned crime, possibly linked to child trafficking.
