Police clueless even after 6 days

Shafiul Alam and his wife Jesmin Akter were not in a celebratory mood this Eid as they spent the entire week at Chittagong Medical College Hospital worried sick about their missing newborn.

Six days have gone since their baby boy was stolen from the gynaecology ward of the hospital on July 15, but police are still clueless.

Shafiul, a driver of CNG-run auto-rickshaw, filed a case with Panchlaish Police Station on July 16. Rab arrested two people in this connection the same day, but they are still unable to find the baby.

The baby was stolen when his mother and grandmother left him alone on the hospital bed for about two minutes when they went to look for his older brother.

Jesmin Akter, who gave birth to the baby on July 2, is inconsolable. "I just want my baby back," she wailed.

Talking to The Daily Star, Shafiul expressed his anger at the poor security of the hospital and questioned police's sincerity in investigating the incident. "Why is the ward not covered by CCTV cameras?" he fumed. "I informed the CMCH Police Camp within five minutes of my son being stolen but they failed to find him." "I filed the case six days ago but the investigation officer is yet to talk to me," he said.

Contacted, Mohiuddin Mahmud, officer-in-charge of Panchlaish Police Station, said Rab handed over the arrestees, a security guard of the hospital and his wife, over to the police. "They denied their involvement in the incident but we will keep interrogating," he said.

Meanwhile, the CMCH authorities formed a four-member committee to probe into the matter.