Hyderabad: Unable to conceive, woman kidnaps baby

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad police on Thursday arrested the woman who had kidnapped a baby from the Koti Maternity Hospital on July 2. The baby was recovered the next day from a hospital in Bidar.

Police said the woman, identified as Naina Rani, 30, wife of Simon, a homemaker from LB Nagar and a native of Khashampur of Bidar, Karnataka. She was unable to conceive, and had resorted to the kidnapping, police said.

“Rani spent two days watching the Koti hospital before implementing her plan. She noticed that the baby’s mother, Vijaya Basawat, did not have an attender,” police commissioner Anjani Kumar said. Rani offered to vaccinate the baby and disappeared.

“Police teams identified Naina from CCTV footage. She was wearing a purple colour saree. The teams identified her boarding a Bidar-bound bus from the Central Bus Station, Imilibun. The bus conductor said she ahd de-boarded the bus at Naya Kaman in Bidar,” Mr Kumar said. The case was extensively reported in the media, and the police received some unexpected help.

“A friend of the woman’s family identified her on TV and called up her brother. Scared that she would be arrested, the woman and her family decided to leave the baby at the emergency ward at the government hospital in Bidar,” DCP, East, M. Ramesh said. 

“For this, Rani’s brothers sought the help of their friend who in turn got in touch with a local press reporter who advised them to come to the Bidar hospital. After they left the girl there, the reporter called up the local police and informed them that the missing baby was found,” Mr Ramesh said.

Immediately afterwards, the Sultan Bazaar ACP along with her team and the sub-inspector of the New Town police station in Bidar rushed to the hospital at about 5 pm on Tuesday and took custody of the baby, he said. The baby’s father, Mr Nari Basawat, accompanied them.

The baby was brought to Hyderabad under proper medical care along with her and reunited with her mother at 3.30 am on Wednesday. Rani along with her brothers and others who assisted her in returning the baby were brought to Hyderabad for further interrogation. They were  later produced in court.

Rani fed the baby well, gave her a bath and bought her a new dress, ACP Sultan Bazaar Dr M. Chetana said on Thursday. 

“When we checked with a pediatrician here, we were told that the baby was healthy and well fed,” she said.

She said that Rani was not supported by her family, who were clueless about the kidnap. 

“Rani told her family that she had conceived at her sister’s place in Zaheerabad. It was when the family called the sister that they learnt the truth. They immediately her to return the baby,” said DCP, East, Ramesh.

He said it was fortunate that the family had left the baby at the Bidar hospital instead of a road.