Baby stolen from Chigateri hospital

DAVANGERE: A one-and-half-month-old baby girl was kidnapped from government hospital in Chigateri early Thursday, while there was a power failure at the hospital and most parts of the city.

The kidnapped baby has been identified as Noor Fatima. Her mother Sultana Bhanu, a resident of S.S. Mallikarjun Nagar, was hospitalised to undergo tubectomy and admitted to ward no 54. She underwent tubectomy on Wednesday afternoon. Sultana’s grandmother and younger sister were at the hospital to take care of her. While the bystanders were fast asleep, there was a power failure.

Taking advantage of darkness, the miscreants kidnapped the baby girl and the incident came to light only after the power was restored. The family members alleged that the hospital staff did not respond promptly when the complained about disappearance of the baby. As the news spread, the staff locked the windows. No security guards were deployed at the women’s ward and the CCTV cameras in the hospital have not been functioning for the past few months. This is the third such incident at the hospital in recent past.

District hospital superintendent Dr Neelambike told reporters that stern action will be taken if any of the staff members were involved. She pointed out that the hospital was facing staff shortage and lack of security. The police have registered a case and begun investigations.