4 Teams Formed To Trace Suspect In Baby Theft At VIMSAR In Odisha’s Sambalpur

Sambalpur: Four special teams have been formed to trace a woman, suspected to be involved in the alleged theft of a newborn boy from Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) at Burla in Odisha’s Sambalpur.

Sources said the teams were formed after couple from Chhattisgarh filed a complaint stating that their newborn baby was stolen by an unidentified woman from the hospital.

As per information, 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. Mohan along with the hospital staff searched for the baby all over the campus but failed to find him. Later, the hospital authorities filed a complaint in this regard at Burla police station.
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. CCTV footage captures her comfortably walking out with the baby. Following the complaint, police investigated the CCTV cameras and launched a search operation.

Four teams have been formed by the administration to apprehend the suspect. Following the incident, a massive search operation has been launched by the police. Various places in the district are being raided as part of the operation.

Alerts have been sent to neighbouring districts, and the suspect’s photo has been shared with local police stations.

The hospital authorities have also formed a team to investigate the incident. Police suspect  the involvement of a child trafficking group in the incident.