Mumbai: On Saturday morning, Durga Kale, whose seven month-old son Vishwanath was kidnapped from Cama & Albless Hospital on February 29 was reunited with her son in a bizarre turn of events.
Vishwanath's abductor allegedly handed him over to a teenager outside a mosque at Marine Lines and even provided medicines and a milk bottle to the boy.
The Kales have been extremely fortunate, because till date three families whose children were abducted from hospitals are yet to hear from them.
To the Kales' surprise, Vishwanath, who had boils on his body when abducted on Wednesday, was in a better condition when they saw him on Saturday.
According to the Azad Maidan police station, the woman who allegedly kidnapped the child came to the mosque and handed him over to a teenager, Anil, 20.
"The woman was seated in a taxi and gestured to Anil to come to her. She gave Rs 20 and a bottle of milk and medicines to him, asking him to look after the baby, until his mother came for him," said API, Anil Surve from Azad Maidan police station. A shopkeeper reportedly recognised Vishwanath and alerted the cops.
When the police along with Durga reached the spot, they were relieved to see that the child was, indeed, Vishwanath.
"I am overwhelmed. The police and the media has helped us lot. When I last saw my baby, he was not well but they (the kidnappers) took good care of him. Even doctors did a thorough check-up and said that he is better. I am thankful to God for returning my son to me,"said an emotional Durga.
Though the child has been found, efforts are still on to nab the kidnappers. "We are exploring all angles. It could be a baby-selling incident, but after media reports, the kidnappers might have gotten afraid and thus decided to return the child. Though we have got the child, we are still looking for the woman in question. We will interrogate the taxi drivers in the locality. This region is under CCTV surveillance and the footage will help us trace the taxi, as well as the kidnapper," said Surve.
The kidnapping
On February 29, at around 12.30 pm, Durga Kale had brought her child, Vishwanath, to the hospital's paediatric Outpatient Department (OPD). After examining the child, the doctor suggested that he should be admitted to the hospital immediately as he was suffering from a severe skin inflammation.
An upset Durga was sitting on one of the benches outside the OPD when a woman dressed in a pink sari befriended her. After being offered vada pav and tea by the unknown woman, who claimed to be an acquaintance of her brother-in-law, Durga asked the lady to look after the child as she went to meet the doctor. When she returned, the child and the lady were missing. A frantic search ensued, but to no avail.
Past Incidents
A Chembur couple lost their three day-old baby boy from Sion Hospital in January 2009.
A four day-old infant was stolen from JJ Hospital in January 2003.
On October 15, 2010 a 62-year-old woman, Shyama Mishra was robbed of her grandson (Ayush) from VN Desai Hospital.
A woman stole an infant from the Shivaji Nagar healthcare centre in Govandi on October 15, 2010.
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