Woman steals baby from Bengal hospital, held
BURDWAN: Bengal’s Kalna subdivisional hospital employees on Saturday caught a woman while stealing a baby from the hospital on Saturday. She is allegedly a part of a baby selling racket.
In her late thirties, Mouri Mondal, a resident of Bahirsara village in Purbasthali block, was nabbed around 9:30 am and beaten up by women employees of the hospital. She admitted that she wanted to run away with a baby.
Kalna hospital authorities lodged a police complaint and she was taken away for interrogation.
The incident comes close on the heels of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) unearthed a baby racket operating out of at least two NGOs and three nursing homes on November 21. As many as 20 KRISHNA CHANDRA BARAI, Superintendent of Kalna subdivisional hospital
persons including three doctors have been arrested in the case.
Subsequently, operators of several other baby selling rackets have been abandoning newborns and babies in fields, bushes and rivers.
Krishna Chandra Barai, superintendent of Kalna subdivisional hospital, told HT, “A lady named Mouri Mondal of Purbashthali was trying to steal baby from the bed of a patient. But our vigilant employees promptly caught her. We handed over the woman to the police. I have lodged a written complaint against her at Kalna police station.”
“We are interrogating her,” said Raj Narayan Mukherjee, additional super (rural).
Tusu Haldar, a resident of Sudra village under Monteshwar block, was admitted to Kalna hospital for delivery. On Monday she delivered a male baby.
“On Saturday morning around 9:30 am I was on my hospital bed and nursing my son. After a few minutes, I saw a woman whom I didn’t know standing in front of my bed. She asked me whose baby it was,” Haldar told HT.
“I was scared after listening to news reports of newborns being stolen throughout the state. I asked her why she was roaming around but she could not give me a satisfactory answer. I immediately went to inform an attendant about her presence. As I returned, I found her covering her face with a piece of cloth and caressing my son. When other attendants rushed to the spot and confronted her, she tried to flee. However, the hospital staff caught hold of her.”
Incidentally, last Sunday, the owner of Life Nursing Home, Sadhan Ghatak, and two attendants Roshanara Begum and Sandhya Mitra were arrested in connection with a newborn trafficking racket in Burdwan. While the locals were instrumental in getting Roshanara arrested, Ghatak and Mitra were nabbed in a raid on the nursing home following Roshanara’s arrest.
A lady named Mouri Mondal was trying to steal a baby from the bed of a patient. But our vigilant employees promptly caught her. We handed over the woman to the police. I have lodged a complaint against her at Kalna police station