Daijiworld News Network - Udupi (GA)

Photo: Mother Lalitha with her baby

Udupi, Mar 9: In a strange incident, a woman who pretended to be pregnant stole a new born baby from a hospital in the city and then was caught by police on Wednesday March 7.

Anand Lamani and Lalita, a couple from Hangal had come to the Children's and Maternity hospital opposite Alankar theatre here for a check up of their 2-month-old child Swati.  At that same time a woman came to Lalita and told her that she knows the doctor well and volunteered to take Swati to the doctor.  Lalita believed her and gave her child to the stranger. The woman took the child inside for check up while Anand and Lalita waited outside.

However, when the woman did not return even after long time, the couple suspected a foul play went inside doctor's room.  But to their utter shock they neither found the woman nor their daughter Swati there.  Shocked by this, they immediately lodged a complaint with the town police.

The police arrived at the place immediately and began interrogating those who were present there.  They realised that the woman who had taken the baby had called up someone from the nearby coin booth and later got into a Maruti Omni vehicle and left the place. 

The police got into action immediately and were able to arrest the accused woman Shakuntala, a resident of Mallampalli. During subsequent enquiry she revealed that she was pretending to be pregnant by tying a cloth piece around her stomach. She had even informed her family members that she was pregnant.

However, the truth was that Shakuntala was pregnant sometime earlier.  But she had a miscarriage about which she had not informed her family members but continued to pretend as if she was pregnant.  Ultimately when the family members started asking her about the delivery, she decided to steal a baby and show it as her own baby.  Accordingly she stole Lalita's baby. 

Threat to Commit Suicide: When reporters started clicking her snaps she threatened the police that she would commit suicide if her photo is published in any newspaper or news channel.