NEW DELHI: A day-old infant was kidnapped from Safdarjung Hospital on Tuesday, prompting a swift response by Delhi Police. The accused, identified as Pooja, a resident of Labour Chowk in Malviya Nagar, was arrested. She allegedly abducted the newborn to hide the fact that she was lying about being pregnant to her in-laws and husband.
According to the police, they received a PCR call around 4 pm on Tuesday reporting the kidnapping of a one-day-old baby girl. The complainant, the infant’s father and a resident of Yashwant Place, Chanakyapuri, told police that his 24-year-old wife delivered the baby on April 14 at Safdarjung Hospital.
After delivery, she was moved to Ward Number 5 (PNC Room). Around 3.17 pm on April 15, the newborn went missing.
The parents and nearby people began searching the area immediately but were unsuccessful and contacted the police.
A case was registered, and DCP (Southwest) Surender Choudhary formed a team under SHO Rajneesh Kumar, led by Sub-Inspector Sunil Gaur. CCTV footage from the hospital and surrounding areas revealed a short, heavily built woman, with her face partially covered by a dupatta, roaming around the same hospital floor and interacting with other female patients.
She was later seen entering the room where the infant was kidnapped.
Further CCTV analysis showed the woman boarding a metro train at AIIMS Metro Station towards Samaypur Badli, but she soon got off at INA to confuse investigators. She then boarded another train towards Huda City Center, getting off at Hauz Khas Metro Station. She exited from gate number 1 and moved towards Panchsheel Flyover, where CCTV coverage was limited.
She was spotted entering an auto-rickshaw. Police examined footage of over 20 auto-rickshaws to identify the vehicle due to unclear registration details. Eventually, they traced the rickshaw and questioned the driver, who confirmed that he dropped the woman with a child near Gulak Wali Gali in Malviya Nagar.
Based on local intelligence, the woman was identified, and a raid was conducted at her residence, where the kidnapped infant was safely recovered.
During interrogation, Pooja confessed that she faked a pregnancy for several months. Being married for seven years without a child, she moved in with her parents claiming she was expecting. On April 14, she left her home claiming she was going to be admitted to Safdarjung Hospital and returned the next day with the abducted baby, pretending it was her own.
