ABBOTTABAD: A 17-day-old baby boy was allegedly abducted from the nursery of Women & Children Hospital, Abbottabad, on Tuesday morning.

According to reports, the infant, son of Siraj from Allai area of Battagram district and residing in the Jhangi area here, was admitted to the hospital for treatment of diarrhoea.

The baby’s mother briefly left the ward to get breakfast. When she returned to the ward 10 to 20 minutes later, the child was missing.

Hospital staff and family members immediately started searching for the baby. CCTV footage reportedly showed a woman wearing a white shawl and face mask carrying the infant out of the hospital.

The baby’s relatives staged a protest outside the hospital, accusing the administration of negligence and questioning how an unidentified woman was able to enter and leave the nursery with the child.

Medical superintendent Dr Amir Israr confirmed the incident, saying that an inquiry was launched immediately. He added that police were informed and all CCTV footage and records had been provided to assist the investigation.

Efforts are ongoing to recover the missing infant safely. The incident has raised public concern and calls for stronger security measures in hospitals.

Meanwhile, the police on Tuesday arrested an accused for assaulting and torturing a minor student.

On May 4, an unidentified suspect allegedly assaulted a minor student before subjecting him to torture and abandoning him in a graveyard.

Following the incident, police registered a case on the complaint of the victim’s mother and initiated an investigation.

During the investigation, Abbottabad police arrested the accused, identified as Nauman, and obtained a three-day physical remand from the court for further interrogation.

Police officials said that the accused was a relative of the victim.

SP Jameel and SP Ayaz also addressed a press conference and shared that further investigation into the case was underway.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2026