Newborn abduction: Joy turns into grief for Pokharkar family

The happiest day of the Pokharkar family turned into a sad one on Monday. The family was overjoyed with the arrival of a new member, but within eight hours after the infant was born, it was stolen from Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital (YCMH), situated at Sant Tukaramnagar, Pimpri on Monday.

Aparna’s husband Hemant works with a dairy. She had arrived at her maternal house for the delivery.

Recalling the incident, the grandmother of the kidnapped infant, Sulochana Kisan Wabale, said, “One of our relatives came to see the newborn and the mother. We were all happy that both the baby and mother were doing well. The mother was tired and taking rest and the baby was kept in a cradle near the mother’s bed.” She rued, “How can a woman indulge in such a cruel act? God will never forgive her.”

Sulochana said the family members went down along with the relatives around noon. We went to the canteen to have some snacks. When we arrived at the maternity ward, we noticed that the baby was not in the cradle.

The family was shocked and informed the medical staff about it.’’

The parents said Aparna informed them that a middle-aged woman, who wore a white Punjabi dress, came near her bed when the others had gone down.

The grandmother said the woman who stole the baby took advantage because Aparna was drowsy.