PESHAWAR: A newborn baby has reportedly gone missing from the gynaecology ward of Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) in Peshawar, prompting the family to protest and raise allegations against hospital staff and police.
The baby’s father, Hashmat Ali, told the media that his child was born at the hospital on Thursday. He alleged that female family members were asked to leave the gynaecology room around the time of the delivery.
According to him, when the women returned to the room after some time, the newborn was reportedly no longer there.
Hashmat alleged that when the family questioned hospital staff about the child’s whereabouts, a nurse accused them of taking the baby themselves. The father rejected the allegation, saying the family had no reason to make their own child disappear.
The family said they reported the incident at the police post located inside the hospital and had the matter entered in the daily diary. However, Hashmat alleged that police officials had so far not registered a formal First Information Report (FIR).
He appealed to authorities to take immediate steps to locate and recover the newborn.
Meanwhile, LRH spokesperson Muhammad Asim said the hospital administration was conducting a detailed inquiry into the incident and that police were also investigating the matter.
According to the spokesperson, the hospital has handed over CCTV footage to police, and efforts are underway to identify and locate a woman allegedly involved in the suspected abduction.
The spokesperson further said that, so far, the affected family had not formally registered an FIR.
