Month-old baby kidnapped from Goa hospital

Panaji: Police in Goa on Saturday have launched a manhunt for a woman, who is alleged to have kidnapped a one-month-old child from the premises of the state's top health facility, the Goa Medical College (GMC) near Panaji.

Police on Saturday made public the CCTV footage of a woman travelling with the child on a scooter late Friday, along with an accomplice, from the hospital to Mapusa town in North Goa, before she dropped from the radar.

"Border checkposts have been alerted from Friday night and police pickets have been posted at key locations. We are also trying to identify the owner of the scooter," a Goa Police spokesperson said.

The alleged kidnapping has also started a political tussle, with Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat describing the kidnap from the premises of the apex health facility as a lapse in the law and order situation in the state.

"Shocked to hear about kidnapping of a one month old boy from Goa Medical College Hospital. Once again it is proved that even hospitals are not safe in Goa. Law and order situation is at an all time low under the BJP government," Kamat said.

Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, however, described the allegation made by Kamat as baseless.

"I would like to bring to attention that the kidnapping incident reported at the GMC has been incorrectly reported. The child was neither a patient at GMC, nor does it have anything to do with a security lapse. It is a baseless allegation and the facts of the incident are totally different," Rane tweeted.