By IANS,
Raipur : A poor woman slipped into coma Monday in a government hospital here after her eight-day-old son went missing from the nursery ward even as police remained clueless.
Munni Bai, 25, from Mandir Hasod area on Raipur’s outskirts, earlier alleged that a nurse had offered her money if she gave away the baby to a couple wishing for a son.
The baby was born May 24 at the Bhimrao Ambedkar Government Hospital. Soon, doctors separated her from the child on medical grounds. She was, however, allowed to breast-feed the baby every day.
She was told Saturday the baby has gone missing.
The police have registered a case and are probing.
The case has generated tremendous interest in Raipur and its suburbs. Dozens of people from Mandir Hasod area Monday started for the hospital to protest the incident.
Satyanarayan Sharma, the Mandir Hasod legislator and Congress Chhattisgarh unit working president, met the mother to console her. He sought a high-level probe into the matter.
Sunil Gupta, assistant superintendent of the hospital, told reporters: “Every newborn carries a tag and registration number on his or her leg to know which kid belongs to which couple.”
“Our hospital always takes all possible steps to ensure safety of the children. We are compiling details and cross-checking inputs,” he added.
District Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar told IANS: “The police will soon put the culprits behind the bars.”
But a senior police officer admitted: “We are almost clueless about the kid’s disappearance. It is still a mystery to us.”