11-day-old stolen baby remains untraced

An 11-day-old baby boy, allegedly stolen from Netrakona General Hospital on Monday, is yet to be rescued.

Babita Akter, 35, wife of farmer Abul Kashem of Panchgaj village in Netrakona's Aatpara upazila, gave birth to a baby through a caesarean delivery at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital on February 15. She was released from the hospital on February 20.

On Monday, she came to Netrakona General Hospital to have her stitches removed. When she entered a room at labour ward, her mother-in-law Jayeda Akter kept the child.

“When I was waiting in front of the labour ward, a burqa-clad young woman came to me and began exchanging pleasantries with me. She took the baby in her arms and fled the scene when I was absentminded,” said Jayeda.

Hearing screams of Jayeda, relatives rushed to the spot and started looking for the woman everywhere but could not find her, said police.

The baby's father Kashem filed a general diary with Netrakona Model Police Station in this connection yesterday, said Additional Superintendent of Police Mohammad Fokrujjaman Jewel.

They are investigating the incident, he said.

They have already collected CCTV footage from the hospital, said the police official, adding that they were raiding different areas to rescue the baby.

Dr Tajul Islam Khan, civil surgeon of Netrakona, said no such incident occurred at the hospital.

The relatives of Babita left the hospital with the baby. The child might have been stolen from outside, claimed the civil surgeon.