Pollachi: A woman from Pollachi in Tamil Nadu was arrested on charges of kidnapping a six-day-old infant from a local government hospital. Police caught the woman with the help of CCTV footage.

Reports suggested that the woman Mariammal hoodwinked baby’s parents at the hospital when mother Devi was recuperating after delivery.

Also read: Tamil Nadu baby selling racket: Former nurse arrested

She told the couple that her husband was admitted in the men’s ward and couldn’t be there. Mariammal spent the next two days, gaining the couple’s trust and took care of the baby. She then told Devi that she was taking the baby for a check up for his earache.

Mariammal handed over the prescription for ear drops to the baby’s father and then quickly made away with the baby.

CCTV camera at the hospital showed Mariammal in the hospital corridor, walking away with the baby.

The couple then approached the police who retrieved the CCTV visuals from the hospital and circulated her photographs.

Puthiya Thalaimurai, a local news channel reported that the baby was reunited with the couple within 10 hours.

Reports said that the police had formed teams to search for the woman in Coimbatore and nearby areas. Upon investigation, it came to light that the woman is from Udumalai.

The kidnapping comes even as the state is still yet to come to terms with the fact that a baby selling racket was unearthed just days before.

The baby selling racket came to the fore after an audio clip went viral where a potential buyer was speaking to a woman about babies.

The woman, in a very business-like tone, said that prices for babies vary depending on the baby’s complexion and weight.

Healthy baby boys were priced at Rs 4.70 lakh while darker skinned boys were much cheaper. The same applied to girl infants too with healthy, fair babies priced higher than skinny, darker babies.