LAHORE: An unidentified woman kidnapped a newborn baby from the labour room of the Lahore General Hospital on Sunday.

The CCTV footage of the hospital showed the woman taking the baby in her arms and disappearing.

The incident highlights the need to further increase the safety of the neonates, and develop guidelines to keep an eye on the mysterious activities of the visitors.

The Lahore General Hospital houses the largest set up of gyne wards where hundreds of delivery cases are done weekly.

The police have launched investigation.

Kasur resident Imran told the police that his wife Nazia Bibi delivered a baby boy in a major operation at the emergency ward. He said he received the baby following the hospital’s procedure. Meanwhile, Imran said, the woman came to him and he handed over his newborn son to her when she offered him help.

On inquiring, he said, she told him that her close relative was under treatment in another ward of the same hospital.

A few minutes later, Imran raised alarm when he could not see the woman around.

A police official said some CCTV footage showed the woman travelling on an auto-rickshaw and the three-wheeler was lastly seen at the Chungi Amar Sindh.

The police teams were trying to get more footage and obtain the record of the rickshaw from the Excise and Taxation Department.

Medical Superintendent Dr Khalid Bin Aslam said that the newborn boy was abducted from the hospital due to the negligence of the family.

Post Graduate Medical Institute Principal Prof Al-Freed Zafar said that he has asked the senior police officials to take emergent measures for the recovery of the child and early arrest of the suspected woman. He advised the people visiting the hospital to remain careful of strangers.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2022