Woman arrested for kidnapping newborn from Safdarjung Hospital after faking pregnancy to family

New Delhi: A 27-year-old woman in Malviya Nagar was arrested for kidnapping a day-old infant from Safdarjung Hospital.
She was faking a pregnancy to deceive her family as she was married for seven years and without a child.
An inquiry revealed that the suspect, Pooja, would visit hospitals, interact with patients and their families, and identify vulnerable targets.
She befriended the infant's family and snatched the baby from the crèche when no one was around. Police found the newborn in Pooja's home after tracing her through CCTV footage and auto-rickshaw drivers. Pooja's motive was to maintain the illusion before her family.
Police said they received a PCR call around 4pm on Tuesday reporting the kidnapping of a one-day-old baby girl. The complainant, the infant's father and a resident of Yashwant Place in Chanakyapuri, told police that his 24-year-old wife delivered the baby on April 14 at Safdarjung Hospital. After delivery, she was moved to ward 5 (PNC Room). Around 3.17pm on April 15, the newborn could not be found. The parents and other people nearby began searching the area immediately but were unsuccessful and contacted police.
DCP (southwest) Surender Choudhary formed a team under SHO Rajneesh Kumar, led by sub-inspector Sunil Gaur. CCTV footage from the hospital and surrounding areas revealed a short, heavily-built woman, with her face partially covered with a dupatta, roaming around on the same hospital floor and interacting with women patients. She was later seen entering the room from where the infant was kidnapped.
Further CCTV analysis showed the woman boarding a metro train at AIIMS metro station towards Samaypur Badli, but she got off at INA to confuse investigators. She then boarded another train towards Huda City Centre, getting off at Hauz Khas. She exited gate 1 and moved towards Panchsheel flyover, where CCTV coverage was limited.
She was spotted entering an auto-rickshaw. Police examined footage of over 20 auto-rickshaws to identify the vehicle due to unclear registration details. Eventually, they traced the rickshaw and questioned the driver, who confirmed that he had dropped the woman with a child near Gulak Wali Gali in Malviya Nagar. Based on local intelligence, the woman was identified, and a search was conducted at her residence, where the kidnapped infant was found.
During interrogation, Pooja confessed that she had faked a pregnancy for several months. Being married for seven years and without a child, she moved in with her parents claiming that she was expecting. On April 14, she left her home, claiming that she was going to be admitted to Safdarjung Hospital and returned the next day with the abducted baby, pretending it was her own.