NEW DELHI, April 16 -- The Delhi Police has arrested a lady for a sensational daylight kidnapping case involving a one-day-old infant girl who was abducted from Safdarjung Hospital on April 15.
The accused has been identified as Pooja (27) wife of Pinku resident of Labour Chowk, Malviya Nagar, New Delhi.
According to the police, the accused was arrested within four hours of the crime being reported, and the infant was safely recovered from her possession.
The incident came to light when the infant's father made a PCR call at around 4:00 PM, reporting the abduction of his newborn daughter.
The child had been born just a day earlier, on April 14, and was admitted along with her mother in Ward No. 5 of the GRG Building at Safdarjung Hospital.
According to the complaint, the child went missing around 3:17 pm while on the hospital premises.
Immediate efforts by the family and bystanders to locate the infant were unsuccessful, prompting a formal case to be registered under an FIR at Safdarjung Enclave Police Station under Section 137(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Realising the seriousness of the offense, Delhi Police formed a special team under the leadership of Inspector Rajneesh Kumar, SHO of Safdarjung Enclave, and under the supervision of ACP Ranbir Singh.
Officers swiftly reviewed CCTV footage from the hospital and surrounding areas. Surveillance revealed an unidentified woman of short height and heavy build, with her face partially covered, moving suspiciously in the maternity ward and interacting with other patients.
Further footage traced her to the AIIMS Metro Station. In an attempt to mislead authorities, she deboarded at the INA Metro Station, only to reboard and head towards Huda City Center.
She eventually exited at Hauz Khas Metro Station and moved toward Panchsheel Flyover, an area lacking surveillance coverage.
The police meticulously analysed her movements and reviewed footage of more than 20 auto-rickshaws (TSRs) to trace the vehicle she boarded.
After determining the registration number of the TSR, the driver was located and questioned. He revealed that he had dropped the woman along with a baby at Gulak Wali Gali, Malviya Nagar.
Acting on local intelligence, police identified and raided the residence of Pooja, leading to the recovery of the kidnapped child.
During interrogation, Pooja admitted to the crime, revealing that she had faked a pregnancy to deceive her husband, Pinku.
Having been childless after seven years of marriage, she plotted the kidnapping to present the stolen infant as her own. The case is currently under further investigation.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.