KARACHI, June 10: The Sindh health department on Tuesday constituted an inquiry committee to investigate the theft of a two-hour-old girl at the Sindh Government Hospital in New Karachi.

In addition to the police’s version, a preliminary inquiry carried out by the New Karachi hospital management on Monday showed that the newborn girl, who was delivered at the hospital at around 5am on Monday, had disappeared and was sold through a lady health-visitor posted at the hospital, said a source in the health department on Tuesday.

The lady health visitor, who is also alleged to have conducted the delivery, is at present in police custody.

Dr Manzoor Memon, the additional secretary (admn) of the Sindh health department, told Dawn that the inquiry committee comprising senior officers had been notified, with the directive to furnish its findings in three days. Two additional secretaries, Dr Mazhar Memon and Dr Manzoor Halepota, will conduct the inquiry in the baby theft from the New Karachi hospital, he added.

The inquiry officers, among other things, will ascertain whether the medical superintendent, duty doctor and ward-in-charge were present at the hospital at the time of the baby’s theft and whether the delivery was conducted by the duty doctor.

Whether the lady health visitor (LHV), suspected of taking away the baby, performed duty on Monday morning within her official schedule or was present there out of way and also conducted the delivery will also be probed.

The officers will also learn whether the LHV was present at the hospital beyond her schedule and why was she given access to the labour room and who had allowed her to conduct the delivery, as maintained initially, and why was she allowed to do so. The committee will further look into the matter that why the newborn was not handed over to her mother first, Mr Memon added.

The authorities in the health department considered the theft, or kidnapping, of the newborn from a Sindh government hospital as an eye-opener for the relevant authorities.