A three-day-old boy was kidnapped from a hospital in Tirupattur district and was traced by the district police within hours of his disappearance.

As per reports, Resein Sultana, from Krishnagiri district, gave birth to a baby boy on May 29 in the government hospital in Tirupattur. A woman, around 30 years old, soon approached the parents and requested them to give her the baby so that she could show it to her sister, who had also given birth to a girl child in the same hospital. She told them that her sister was fond of baby boys more and wished to see one.

The parents -- Resein and Sheriff -- handed over their infant to the woman. The baby’s grandmother also accompanied this woman. However, the unidentified woman walked faster within the hospital, making the grandmother lose sight of her.

As the grandmother went back to the infant’s parents and related the incident, Resein raised an alarm and alerted the security and medical staff in the hospital.

Tirupattur SP (Superintendent of Police), P Vijaykumar who visited the hospital, checked the CCTV footage and conducted an inquiry and immediately sent an alert to all the check-posts and the village vigilance committee. As the members of the public readily cooperated, the police were able to trace the baby to a house in Tirupattur town within a few hours. The baby was hidden in a cloth. Police recovered the infant and handed him over to his parents. Meanwhile, the woman Reheena who had kidnapped the baby, was arrested.

Speaking to The New Indian Express, Vijaykumar said that Reheena was originally from Salem district and was not part of any organised gangs that kidnap children. He also added that the police have instructed the hospital to monitor and maintain a record of those who are entering the premises so that these kinds of incidents can be avoided.