A DNA test would be conducted on Kalavati Devi and her husband Vidya Sagar Choudhary to confirm the identity of their recovered baby but the woman who had stolen their child is still at large.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaj said arresting the missing woman, Meena, is as important as conducting the DNA test on the parents of the child stolen from Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) on Saturday. The newborn was recovered from Phulwarisharif on Wednesday and three persons — wife, and childless son and daughter-in-law of a constable — were arrested. But Meena, who walked away with the child from the PMCH, gave police the slip.
“It is a relief for the cops that the baby has been recovered but several things are still hazy. The arrest of Meena is very important and the police are making all efforts to nab her. Things will be clearer after she is arrested,” the senior officer said.
Underscoring the importance of conducting the DNA test on the parents of the recovered baby, Maharaj said: “It is a fact that the woman (Kalavati) delivered a baby in the PMCH and the records show the same. When the infant was recovered and brought to her, she identified the baby as her son. But that doesn’t legally prove that the infant is her son and she is her mother. The DNA test would confirm the identity of the baby. The police, who are suspecting a deep-rooted conspiracy in the case, need to be sure that Kalavati and Vidya Sagar are indeed the parents of the infant.” Sources said Kalavati was desperate to get her son back after he was stolen from the PMCH. When a woman is in such a psychological frame of mind, there is a possibility of she identifying any child as her own.
“In most of the cases, there is a remote chance of a stolen baby being recovered. In such a situation, a mother can be accepting any child as her own. But that is just a possibility. The police just want to confirm Kalavati is the recovered baby’s mother and that’s why we want to conduct a DNA test on her,” another officer said.
He added: “Arresting Meena is another priority of the police. Going by the CCTV footage, she appears to be professional baby-lifter. The police suspect an organised gang is involved in stealing infants from hospitals. Just like the professional killers who murder for money, these people might be into stealing infants for childless couples in lieu of money.”
The constable’s arrested kin — wife Gayatri Devi, son Sonu and daughter-in-law Nisha Devi — allegedly wanted a child desperately. The police believe Gayatri hired Meena to steal a baby from the PMCH. She was allegedly instructed to lift a baby boy.
The CCTV footage revealed that there were three newborns — two girls and a boy — in the PMCH ward when Kalavati’s son was stolen. Meena acted like a professional. She moved along the ward for sometime, picked up the child and walked out without any anxiety.
