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Baby-napper apprehended in Karak hospital

By Rana Husseini - Feb 25,2014 - Last updated at Feb 25,2014

AMMAN — Authorities are questioning a 33-year-old woman who allegedly attempted to abduct a newborn from a hospital in Karak Governorate on Tuesday morning, according to an official source.

The woman walked into the Prince Ali Military Hospital at around 10:30am, claiming that she has an appointment for a medical check-up, the senior official source told The Jordan Times.

“The woman wandered around the hospital and discovered that a woman had delivered a baby girl 48 hours earlier,” the source said.

The suspect decided to share her room and told the woman’s husband so he left, according to the source.

“The suspect wrapped the baby girl in a blanket and snatched her from the cradle when her mother was not looking,” the source added.

The mother started screaming when she noticed that her baby was missing and alerted the staff on duty, he noted.

“A staff member immediately called the main gate of the hospital and asked them to close it, so the woman was stopped and the baby was returned to her biological mother,” the source explained.

Upon questioning the suspect, she informed the authorities that “she was asked by someone to snatch a baby from the hospital but did not reveal the identity of the person who made the request.”

“Witnesses saw a mini-bus hurriedly leaving the area when hospital employees apprehended the woman,” the source stated.

The woman was searched and police found a large amount of jewellery and cash, including several currencies, in her possession, the source added.

Several investigation agencies are currently questioning the woman to try to determine “who is behind her and what her real motives are”.

Police are also searching for the bus that sped off from the area immediately after the woman was arrested, the source added.

“We consider this a very serious matter and we will question the woman extensively to determine if this is an organised type of crime or an individual action,” the source said.

Officials at the hospital were unavailable to comment on the incident on Tuesday evening.

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