A 14-day old newborn baby boy was stolen from Postnatal Ward of Chittagong Medical College Hospital on Wednesday, exposing the sorry state of security system of state-owned hospital.
Although the incident took place on Wednesday evening, it came to light yesterday morning after CMCH police and hospital authorities failed to rescue the missing infant after frantic efforts.
Members of Rapid Action Battalion, however, arrested a couple for their alleged involvement with the stealing.
Hospital sources said Jesmin Akhtar, 30, wife of Md Safiul, of Kadolpur of Raojan upazila in Chittagong got admitted to the hospital on July 2. Later, she gave birth to a baby boy. As Jesmin has some gynecological complications, she was undergoing treatment at the hospital. The couple has another boy who is two and half years old.
On Wednesday, elder son of the couple walked out of the ward during the lunch hour.
The baby was stolen from the bed around 3:15 when Jesmin with her attendant went to bring back the child from the outside of the ward, said Sub-Inspector Jahirul Islam of the CMCH police outpost.
Safiul told the Dhaka Tribune that he was standing in the corridor of the ward during the incident, but saw nothing.
“Hearing my wife’s hue and cry I rushed to the bed and later informed police in this regard”, said he adding that to take the baby away from the ward within a minute is impossible without hospital’s workers’ assistance”.
The couple which was arrested identified as Rina Dey, 30, and her husband Sujon Dutta, 32, said Major Jahargir Alam, Camp Commander of RAB 7 Chandgaon Camp.
Sujon is a cleaner of the CMCH while Rina is an agent of private diagnostic centre, said the RAB official.
“Seeing CCTV footage the duo were identified. Later, they were arrested from Chawakbazar area in the evening”, he added.
During primary interrogation, Rina acknowledged that she was involved with the stealing incident. But she could not tell whereabouts of the baby. RAB personnel are trying to rescue the baby, he further added.
Hospital sources said CCTV of the Postnatal Ward has remained dysfunctional. The hospital has 57 cameras while most of them remain out of order, encouraging criminals to do criminal activities. Incident of newborn babies from government hospital becomes a common phenomenon.