Kanpur: An electricity department sub-divisional officer (SDO) has been arrested in connection with an alleged attempt to steal a newborn from a govt hospital after an Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) was caught fleeing with the child on May 10. Police said the SDO allegedly offered the ANM Rs 5 lakh to steal the child, driven by his desire for a son.RK Verma was posted at the electricity substation in Maudaha, Hamirpur, for about six months. Police said he was a resident of Ghatampur, Kanpur, had two daughters and wanted a son.The incident took place at Ghatampur CHC, where Avnish, a farmer from Bamhauri village in the Ghatampur police station area, admitted his wife, Manju (22), for delivery on May 10. That evening, she gave birth to a son, after which the mother and child were shifted to the maternity ward.Around 10pm, a woman arrived in the ward and wandered there for some time. She introduced herself as a staff nurse and, on the pretext of examining the child, picked him up. Before Manju could understand what had happened, the woman left.Manju immediately called her husband, who was outside the ward. As the woman headed towards the hospital gate with the child, Avnish and a security guard caught her. Police arrived after receiving the information, took the woman into custody and began questioning her. The next day, she was sent to jail.Police said that during interrogation, the ANM’s statement led them to Verma. They said he had lured ANM Geeta with an offer of Rs 5 lakh to steal the child, motivated by his desire for a son.Police arrested Verma on Monday evening and sent him to jail. Ghatampur ACP Krishna Kant said that during the investigation, the SDO admitted to offering the ANM Rs 5 lakh to steal a child out of a desire for a son.
