Himachal Police arrest couple for stealing newborn child, hand over rescued infant to biological parents

“Both the couple know each other very well. Munita and her husband, Jatinder, are the parents of three daughters. When Munita got pregnant last year, she and her husband promised Rekha and her husband that they would give their fourth child to them as per a written agreement,” Ashok Kumar, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Baddi, told The Indian Express.

Kumar said Munita delivered a boy on January 9, when she was on her way to a local government hospital in Baddi in an ambulance, and Rekha accompanied her.

“Later, when Rekha demanded the child as per the agreement, Munita and her husband declined to give them their child. On January 13, the accused couple managed to steal the child from Munita’s room and escaped. Munita lodged an FIR with the local police on the next day,” said Kumar.

An FIR of a kidnapping offence under Section 137(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, at the Women Police Station, Baddi.

The police said that after registering the FIR, a special team was constituted under the supervision of Assistant Sub-Inspector Lakhbir Singh.

A police officer said the offence under BNS Section 137(2) carries a punishment of less than seven years’ imprisonment. As per the law, arrest is not mandatory in such cases, and the accused may be released after being served a legal notice.

The Baddi police said further investigation into the case is underway.