VISAKHAPATNAM: A five-day-old baby abducted from the King George Hospital here on Wednesday, was traced within 24 hours by the Vizag Police at Srikakulam district. Police who launched a massive search for the infant found that two women child lifters had resorted to the crime and traced the child near Jarjengi of Kotabommali Mandal in Srikakulam district on Thursday.

As per reports on March 16, the newborn baby was allegedly kidnapped by two women pretending to be nurses, on the pretext of taking the girl child for tests. Even as the child’s uncle accompanied the women, they asked him to stay back as men were not allowed inside. After the child was not returned, the child’s parents filed a complaint. The matter was immediately brought to the notice of Visakhapatnam Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Gautami, ADCP Sravan Kumar, ACP Sirish, who have started investigation using the CCTV footage in the hospital and the city limits.

It was found out that the two women got into an auto and left KGH in an autorickshaw. Through the help of CCTV footage at various traffic signals, they were last spotted near Gurudwara Junction. Police also saw that the two women had spoken to a woman named Kondamma at the maternity ward, and the police questioned her. She revealed the names of the other two women as Geetha and Yasodha, residents of the Gurudwara area.

The whole kidnapping was done at Kondamma’s behest as she confessed to the police that she had agreed to give up her newborn baby to a childless couple, named Rajeswara Rao and Lakshmi Prasanna who were from Srikakulam. The Srikakulam couple were trying for a child for 13 years and had come in contact with the two women Geetha and Yasodha, through a mutual friend, to help them in adopting a child. These two women then introduced the couple to Kondamma, a local of G Madugula. Kondamma, who was pregnant at that time agreed to give up the baby for adoption for a sum of Rs 3 lakhs. Unfortunately, the newborn of Kondamma did not survive. After which Geetha and Yasodha decided to kidnap a baby from the maternity ward and deliver it to the couple to fulfill their agreement as they had taken the money.

Meanwhile, the Visakhapatnam District Police also traced and took into custody the couple Rajeswara Rao and Lakshmi Prasanna, along with the 5-day-old infant near Srikakulam. Another mutual friend, named Gayatri, was also taken into custody.

Visakhapatnam City Police Commissioner Manish Kumar Sinha informed the media that further investigation would be carried out and urged people to install CCTV cameras near the resident as it would help them and the police in tracing such crimes easily.

The couple was elated to see that their child was returned to them safely and thanked the Vizag police for tracing the baby within 24 hours of the kidnapping incident.

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