Anantapur: In a major breakthrough, police traced a new-born child who had gone missing from the Government General Hospital (GGH) in Anantapur within three hours on Sunday.
Sources said Amrutha, a pregnant woman from Nagalur village in Penukonda mandal of Sri Sathya Sai district, got admitted to Anantapur GGH on July 22. She gave birth to a baby girl on July 23. Both the mother and child had to remain in hospital on the advice of doctors.
On Sunday, at around 4:30 a.m., Amrutha noticed that her five-day-old daughter had gone missing and alerted the hospital authorities, who immediately informed police.
Anantapur DSP Prathap, Two Town inspector Kranthi Kumar and Fourth Town circle inspector Prathap Reddy sounded an alert.
Police verified CCTV footage at the hospital premises and found a woman taking abducted the baby from the hospital. Police investigated further and traced the baby and abductor Amani of Narayanapuram village in Anantapur Rural mandal.
Police arrested the woman and handed over the baby to her parents.
GGH superintendent Dr. Venkateswar Rao suspended two staff nurses and an FNO (female nursing officer) for negligence of duty. A security guard posted at the female ward has been removed from duty.
Anantapur SP K.V. Murali Krishna appreciated the police team for tracing the missing baby within three hours.