Newborn Baby Stolen from Dhanbad Govt Hospital: Security Concerns Raised

Dhanbad: A newborn baby boy was stolen from Dhanbad’s govt healthcare facility, Shaheed Nirmal Mahto Medical College and Hospital (SNMMCH), on Saturday, triggering panic on the hospital premises and raising serious questions over the arrangements for the safety and security of patients.According to the baby’s mother, Sarita Devi, a resident of Bhelwa village under the Maniadih police station area of Tundi, she was admitted to SNMMCH on Dec 24. She arrived at the hospital along with her husband Shaligram Marandi. Doctors admitted her to the obstetrics and gynaecology department, where she later gave birth to a baby boy.Sarita Devi alleged that on Saturday night, around 8 pm, an unknown woman posing as a nurse approached her in the ward. Claiming that she needed to examine the newborn, the woman took the baby from her arms and walked out of the ward. The mother attempted to follow the woman, but she suddenly disappeared within the hospital premises.When the baby did not return even after a long time, family members began searching frantically across the hospital but found no trace of the newborn. Subsequently, the hospital administration was informed about the incident.Upon receiving information, Saraidhela police rushed to the spot and initiated an investigation. The officer-in-charge of the Saraidhela police station, Manjit Kumar, said, “An investigation is underway. We examined CCTV footage installed in the hospital, which reportedly shows a woman wearing a face mask carrying a newborn baby in her arms. Based on this, we are interrogating hospital staff who were on duty at the time of the incident to gather further details and establish the sequence of events.”Meanwhile, the family has accused the hospital administration of gross negligence. They claimed that if there were adequate security arrangements and proper monitoring of visitors, such an incident could have been prevented. The family has demanded the immediate recovery of the baby and strict action against those responsible for the lapse.Responding to the incident, senior hospital manager Dr Suman Kumar said that as soon as the matter came to light, the Saraidhela police were informed. He stated that both the hospital administration and the police are jointly investigating the case. “All possible efforts are being made to safely recover the newborn,” he assured.