KARACHI, May 8: A baby girl abducted from the Sindh Government Hospital, Liaquatabad, last month was handed over to her parents by the Edhi Foundation on Thursday.

“On May 6, around six in the morning, someone put the baby girl at the cradle outside the Edhi Centre, Tower. She was in bad shape, suffering from dehydration and dysentery. She was shifted to the Edhi Centre Mithadar where her condition improved,” Rizwan Edhi told Dawn.

The unknown person had also left a note, rather confessional statment, stating: “The baby was born at the Sindh Government Hospital, Liaquatabad No. 10, on April 21 between 11am to 12 noon through an operation. I had abducted the girl, but because of pricks of conscience, I am leaving her at Edhi Centre so that she could be restored to her parents.”

Recalling the abduction incident, investigation officer Saleem Warsiof Investigation Zone-III, Liaquatabad Town, told Dawn that Ashraf Sindhu and Ms Zubia, parents of the baby girl, were residents of Bhatti Colony and had four children — two sons and as many daughters —all born through normal delivery.

On April 21, the hospital staff told Mr Sindhu to bring some essential medicines as his wife would have to undergo surgery. He left for his parents’ home in Gulberg to seek money. When he returned to the hospital, Mr Sindhu was not handed over the newborn. He created a mayhem and informed police. However, the hospital staff misinformed the police maintaining that the couple were not husband and wife and that someone might have taken away the baby, the investigation officer revealed.

The IO said that after initial investigation, we ascertained that some of the paramedical staff were involved in the case.

After the registration of the FIR 45/2003 on April 24, police picked up a head-nurse, Nasreen Mahnaz, a ward boy, Mubarak, and nanny Wazera, who had been nominated in the FIR.

However, when police interrogated them at the police station, the hospital staff suspended the routine work and police released the suspects, the inquiry officer said.

In order to continue the investigation, police has written to the provincial health secretary to help take custody of the suspects of the baby’s abduction, he added.