For nine days, Ashiyana Anjum Sayyad Altaf kept looking for a newborn baby. She moved between Mayo Hospital and Daga Government Memorial Women’s Hospital every morning. She was looking for a baby to fill the void left by the death of her own child. On Friday, this search took a shocking turn. The 29-year-old woman kidnapped a newborn girl from Daga Hospital. Within a few hours, police traced the baby to a house in the Tipu Sultan Chowk area and rescued her safely. Police said Ashiyana had lost her own newborn daughter on August 11. The baby was born on August 3 and died just eight days later. The death left Ashiyana deeply distressed. According to police, she kept talking about her dead baby. She also began visiting hospitals in search of a newborn. Ashiyana is originally from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. She had come to her maternal home in Nagpur during her pregnancy. After losing her baby, she reportedly became mentally disturbed. She would leave home in the morning and visit Mayo and Daga hospitals. During one such visit, she noticed the newborn daughter of Prabha Pathrabe. Police said Ashiyana first gained the trust of the baby’s grandmother. She offered to help the family and promised to pay Rs 5,000. She then claimed that the baby had to be taken for vaccination. The elderly woman trusted her.

 

Ashiyana took the baby and walked away from the hospital. She then fled with the newborn. When she did not return, the family became suspicious. They searched for her but could not find her or the baby. The incident triggered panic at the hospital. Relatives gathered at the spot and questioned the hospital administration. They demanded immediate action. The Tehsil police launched a search. CCTV footage from the hospital and surrounding areas was examined. Police teams also received information that the woman had taken the baby towards Yashodhara Nagar. The search soon led them to a house near Tipu Sultan Chowk.

 

Police raided the house and found the newborn girl. The baby was rescued safely and handed over to her parents. Police then took Ashiyana into custody with the help of her brother. But the case took another turn after police learned what had happened to Ashiyana after she took the baby home. After bringing the newborn to the house, she had gone to HB Town in Pardi area with her younger brother. While returning, she came to know that police had reached her home. According to police, she then suddenly jumped out of the auto-rickshaw. She suffered injuries in the incident. Police personnel took her to Mayo Hospital for treatment. After receiving treatment, she was taken into custody by the Tehsil police. The police have registered a kidnapping case against her.

 

Ashiyana was produced before a court on Saturday. The court granted her bail within 24 hours. Police are now investigating the circumstances that led to the kidnapping. Her claim that she was distressed after losing her own baby is also being examined. Police are trying to establish whether the woman was genuinely suffering from severe mental distress or whether the claim is being used to explain the crime.