Chennai: The 3-year-old-boy who went missing from the Government Stanley Hospital was rescued on Thursday by cops from a 45-year-old widow even as she was on her way to reunite the boy with his family.
The woman, identified as Subahani (45), resident of Kamarajar Salai 7th street, has been remanded to judicial custody. She claimed to have taken the boy with her after she found him alone and crying when she went to the hospital to collect tablets for wheezing and depression.
Preliminary investigations revealed that she had taken the boy first to Moolakothalam and then to Tondiarpet where they had food on Wednesday evening. She then took an EMU to Gummidipoondi railway station where she spent the night and returned home on Thursday morning.
Bringing a boy fitting the description of the missing child did not escape the attention of Subahani's neighbours, who had seen images of the boy beamed by news channels. When questioned, she admitted to have brought the child with her from the hospital.
She was later apprehended by the police patrol in Moolakadai when she stopped for tea and was being accompanied by her landlord, Vijayan (87), who refused to let her into the house unless she returned the missing boy either to the cops or to the family.
The cops took the boy to Washermenpet Police and reunited him with his family who burst into tears of joy at the sight of the boy, who was equally thrilled to see his parents.
The boy, identified as Asif (3), had gone missing on Wednesday when his mother Husaina went to consult an endocrinologist. After their frantic search had proved futile, Husaina and her husband Bharakath had lodged a 'missing person' complaint with Washermenpet Police.
Analysis of surveillance footage showed the boy leaving with a woman from the hospital premises and the images were circulated to all police stations.
“Subahani's husband Mohamed Sultan had died in 2012. Their 10-year-old daughter is staying with their relatives and studying in Mud-ukulathur, Ramanathapuram district since Subahani could not make ends meet by working as servant maid,” a senior police official said.
