Ballari, 14 Sept 

Police have busted a child-lifting gang operating in the district hospital in Ballari and rescued a one-and-a-half-month-old baby within 24 hours of the abduction, officials said on Sunday.

The accused—Shameem, her husband Ismail, and an accomplice Basha—allegedly kidnapped the child on Friday and later sold the infant to Basavaraj Mahantappa of Toranagallu, Ballari Superintendent of Police Shobha Rani said.

Basavaraj, who had been childless for 19 years, had approached Basha, a self-styled quack, after failing to adopt legally due to stringent rules, Rani said.

According to police, the incident took place when the baby’s mother, Sridevi of Benakallu village, visited the district hospital to remove stitches and obtain a birth certificate for her newborn.

Shameem allegedly told her the municipal office would issue the certificate. When Sridevi briefly stepped away to use the restroom, leaving the baby in Shameem’s care, the latter fled with the child.

Sridevi immediately lodged a kidnapping complaint at Brucepete police station. The case was prioritised, and acting swiftly, police tracked down the accused and rescued the child by Saturday night, the SP said.

Rani added that Shameem’s mother, Zainabi, is a convict in a previous child-lifting case. “We are investigating how many cases this gang may be involved in,” she said.