Chennai:
Maternity assistants attached to the Corporation-run hospitals in Vyasarpadi and Pulianthope struck work after their colleague was picked by police for questioning in connection with Tuesday's kidnap of a newborn boy by a woman arrack seller. Even as the maternity assistant was later let off, many pregnant women were left stranded when the protesting medical staff refused to attend to them. On Tuesday, M Velankanni (26) of Malligaipu Colony, was arrested on charges of kidnapping the newborn of P Nandini (20) from the maternity hospital in Ganesapuram at Vyasarpadi. The baby was rescued after local residents, who became suspicious on seeing the accused woman with a baby, tipped off the police.
Police found that she was earlier involved in the sale of illicit arrack. Her husband, Manimaran, was a mason and she had two children. Grilled, Velankanni pointed fingers at Selvam, who worked at the hospital. "She claimed that it was Selvam who instigated her to kidnap the baby," investigating officer Muniyandi told Express.
Selvam was picked up on Tuesday night by the local all-woman police station personnel. On a directive from the Police Commissioner, JCP (Central) K Sankar and DCP (Pulianthope) G Karthikeyan also questioned Selvam on Wednesday morning.
On hearing about her detention, Selvam's colleagues struck work in protest, while her relatives blocked traffic at Vyasarpadi. "We explained to them that she had been taken for questioning," the officer said. "Since they struck work, there was nobody to attend to pregnant women at the hospital," he rued. While the hospital staff relented and called off the protest, the police released Selvam, as they felt that she had been falsely implicated. Now, they have submitted a written requisition to a cell phone company, asking for caller logs of Velankanni's phone. When police seized her phone, they found the SIM card missing.
Through the call records, they hope to ascertain whether she was involved in any kidnap racket. Velankanni was produced before the Fifth Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Egmore, which remanded her to judicial custody.