Newborn Boy Stolen From Odisha’s VIMSAR Rescued From Rengali; 2 Detained

Sambalpur: Couple of days after being stolen from Burla’s VIMSAR, Odisha police on Thursday rescued the newborn boy from a house at Ganesh Nagar Near Rengali.

The infant has been brought back to VIMSAR. The couple from whom he was recovered have also been taken into custody, sources said.

“We conducted raid on the house following a tip-off. Two persons, including the woman suspected to have lifted the newborn, have been detained for questioning,” additional SP Haresh Pandey told the media.

The movie behind the kidnapping is yet to ascertained, he added.

On Wednesday, Sambalpur had formed four special teams to trace the infant and announced a reward of Rs 5,000 for any information on the suspected child lifter.

A doctor at the hospital said that the infant is doing fine. “Tests will conducted as we suspect he might have contracted some infection. The newborn will be kept under observation in SNCU for 72 hours,” she added.

THE CASE

Geeta Das, wife of Mohan Das of Basan area of Mahasamund district in Chhattisgarh, was admitted to the gynaecology and obstetrics department of VIMSAR on November 24. She gave birth to a baby boy on November 25. The couple found their baby missing on Tuesday afternoon and informed the hospital staff, who searched for the baby for hours but in vain. They then reported the matter to higher authorities who eventually informed the police.

The couple claimed that an unknown woman established a rapport with Geeta’s sister to execute her plan. Since Geeta’s sister was new to VIMSAR, she was not familiar with the hospital’s procedures. The woman offered assistance, claiming she was from Sambalpur. While the family was having lunch on Tuesday, the woman was seen playing with the baby. Under the pretext of taking the baby for a stroll, she slipped away at around 2.15 pm. CCTV footage captures her comfortably walking out of the hospital with the baby.