RAWALPINDI: A man wearing a burqa was caught outside the labour room of the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital on Monday and was handed over to the police over suspicion of kidnapping a newborn.

The suspect was identified as 18-year-old Mohammad Ahsan, a seminary student.

He was caught by security guards outside the hospital’s labour room at about 1pm.

The police investigating officer said Ahsan was alone at home, with his father at work and his mother visiting some relatives, when he had picked up her burqa and shoes and went to the DHQ Hospital.

The suspect hails from Mansehra and is currently living in Westridge. In his statement, he told the police he was just joking when he wore his mother’s burqa and went to the gynaecology ward.

“He thought he will tease and joke with women in the ward, but landed in a police lockup instead,” the investigation officer said.

DHQ Hospital Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr Irfan Khiljee told Dawn the suspect was caught outside the labour room where newborns are handed over to their parents.

“It may have been an attempt to kidnap newborns but he was caught by the guards,” he said. After the guards had caught Ahsan, a large number of hospital staff and visitors gathered and later called the police.

The police said none of the women patients or visitors had come forward to lodge a complaint of harassment by the young man.

However, he was booked by the Ganjmandi police and put behind bars.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2018