GULU--A 17-year-old mother Scovia Akello is reported to have lost her baby to a suspected con lady who claimed to be hospital attendant.
Akello, a resident of Amuru sub-county in Amuru district, gave birth to a baby girl from St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor after she was referred to the facility by doctors from Lacor health centre III in Amuru sub-county. The incident happened Sunday morning between 7am and 8am.
Francis Okello, the uncle of child, said Akello mother-in-law who was attending to the juvenile mother went to buy food and left the baby with the mother in the maternity ward but she came and found out that an unknown woman claiming to be an attendance in the next ward had carried away the baby.
He said the mother-in-law came and found Akello sleeping and the child missing.
“We have been searching for the whereabouts of the baby in vain. We have reported the case to police,” Okello said.
The hospital medical director, Dr. Cyprian Opira, said hospital authorities tried to lock gates and thoroughly searched the baby all over the hospital premises but their efforts yielded no fruit.
“We tried to review our CCTV camera recording but it never showed us anything,” Okello said.
He urged the public to be extra careful because child theft is unpredictable.
“Lacor is a public place, mothers and attendants should be careful about who they associate with while at the hospital,” he said.
Jimmy Patrick Okema, Aswa river region police spokesperson, confirmed the incident, adding that the suspected con lady is about 38 years of age and police already have some leads that will aid investigations.
Okema said if CCTV cameras had been installed at all corners in the hospital, it would have been easy to trace the suspect.
He advised owners of public places, including hospitals, to install CCTV cameras to help in monitoring their work place.
