Delhi: Newborn abducted from hospital in shocking plot to fool family; Here's how cops rescued baby

New Delhi: A 27-year-old woman from Malviya Nagar was arrested for abducting a newborn just a day after birth from Safdarjung Hospital. Pooja, who had been married for seven years without having a child, had been pretending to be pregnant to deceive her family. Investigations revealed that Pooja would visit hospitals, interact with patients and their families, and identify potential targets.

She befriended the family of the infant and took the baby from the crèche when no one was looking. Police tracked her down using CCTV footage and by questioning local auto-rickshaw drivers, eventually finding the baby at Pooja's residence. Her motive was to maintain the façade of pregnancy in front of her family.

Police received a PCR call at around 4 pm on Tuesday regarding the abduction of a one-day-old baby girl. The infant's father, a resident of Yashwant Place in Chanakyapuri, filed the complaint, explaining that his 24-year-old wife had given birth to the baby at Safdarjung Hospital on April 14. Following the delivery, the mother was moved to ward 5 (PNC Room). However, on the afternoon of April 15, at approximately 3:17 pm, the newborn was found missing.

Related Articles

The parents, along with others in the vicinity, immediately began searching the area but were unable to locate the baby and subsequently contacted the police for help.

DCP (Southwest) Surender Choudhary assigned a team led by SHO Rajneesh Kumar, with sub-inspector Sunil Gaur in charge of the investigation. After reviewing CCTV footage from the hospital and nearby areas, a short, stocky woman with her face partially covered by a dupatta was identified roaming the hospital floor. She was seen interacting with female patients before entering the room where the infant was taken.

Further analysis of CCTV footage revealed that the woman boarded a metro train at AIIMS station, heading towards Samaypur Badli. However, she disembarked at INA station to mislead investigators. She then took another train towards Huda City Centre, alighting at Hauz Khas. After exiting gate 1, she headed towards the Panchsheel flyover, where CCTV coverage was sparse.

The woman was seen entering an auto-rickshaw, but the unclear registration details made it difficult for the police to identify the vehicle. After reviewing footage from over 20 auto-rickshaws, they were able to trace the rickshaw and question the driver. The driver confirmed that he had dropped the woman, carrying a child, near Gulak Wali Gali in Malviya Nagar. Using local intelligence, the woman was identified, and a search of her residence led to the recovery of the kidnapped infant.

During questioning, Pooja admitted to faking a pregnancy for several months to deceive her family. Married for seven years without having a child, she had moved in with her parents under the pretense of being pregnant. On April 14, she left home, saying she was being admitted to Safdarjung Hospital for delivery. The following day, she returned with the kidnapped infant, claiming the baby was hers.