A day-old baby girl was allegedly abducted from the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH) after an unidentified woman befriended the infant's family on the pretext of helping them avail benefits under a government welfare scheme.
This is not the sole incident.
Earlier too, similar instances had been reported raising a serious question mark over the security and safety in the reputed and leading government hospital in the holy city.
In the latest incident, Anita, a resident of Navi Abadi located on Fatehgarh Churiyan road, gave birth to a baby girl at the hospital on July 15 at around 10 am.
During her stay in the maternity ward, an unknown woman approached the family and gained their confidence by claiming she could help them complete formalities for a government scheme meant for newborn girls.
The accused later told the family that the newborn needed to be taken for an injection and convinced the baby's grandmother, Sheila, to accompany her. Around 3.30 pm, the woman took the infant towards the interstate bus terminus from where the accused allegedly fled with the baby.
The family immediately informed the police and searched for the woman, but she could not be traced.
Police teams have been examining the CCTV footage of cameras from the bus stand and in and around the hospital complex to find any clues about that accused woman.
Investigation officer, ASI Lakhwinder Kumar, in charge of Bus stand police chowki said that several cameras were reportedly non-functional, hampering the probe.
The family told the police that the suspect had also mingled with another patient's attendants in the ward, making her presence appear normal.
Lakhwinder said that a case is being registered after recording the statement of the family members. He said once the police get the CCTV footage of the accused, it would be circulated in the Punjab and all the police stations in Amritsar and adjoining areas.
Earlier on March 18, a newborn four day old baby boy was stolen from GNDH. Rani Kaur, a resident of Dhand Kasel village in Tarn Taran district, had brought her child to the hospital for a check-up. However, an unidentified woman allegedly picked up the baby and fled from the premises. The accused, later identified as Jaspreet Kaur, a resident of Batala in Gurdaspur district, was arrested in this connection while the baby was safely reunited with the family.
Similarly, in October 2023 a newborn boy was kidnapped by the woman and her two accomplices from Bebe Nanaki Maternity Ward of GNDH when all the family members were sleeping. The incident was captured in a CCTV camera. The police had nabbed a woman, Sarabjit Kaur, alias Babbu, of Harimabad village of Gurdaspur and found the baby from Ludhiana Interstate Bus Terminal. His husband Bunty Masih and brother-in-law James Masih were also arrested for their role in this case.