Woman who allegedly abducted baby refused bail

Sandasen MARASINGHE

Colombo High Court refused to grant bail to a woman who allegedly abducted a new born baby from the mother at the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital in December 2007.

The Court also informed the Attorney General to file indictment against the suspect as soon as possible.

High Court Judge K.K.S.G.F. Perera refused granting bail to K.D. Rohini Ramya Kumari after State Counsel submitted that she had committed a grave crime.

Malani Arukgoda of Panadura filing the bail application through Attorney Ms A.C. Jagodaarachchi stated that Ramya Kumari was her daughter-in-law.

Ramya Kumari was produced before the Gangodawila Magistrate by the Kohuwela Police. But the Magistrate refused to grant her bail on March 3, 2008. Arukgoda also stated that since then Kumari was kept in remand custody. Kumari was a mother of two and those children are deprived of their mother's love.

The infant that was allegedly abducted was handed over to the parents. No indictment had been filed against her so far. In the circumstances she pleaded before the Court to grant bail to Ramya Kumari. The State Counsel objected granting bail stating that the suspect had committed the abduction intentionally after planning for a long period. State Counsel stated that the suspect had entered hospital as a patient.

She had stayed in the maternity ward for a long time disguising herself as a pregnant woman. She had promised a minor staffer to pay a sum of Rs. 20,000 to get an infant and also paid an advance of Rs. 500. The State Counsel also submitted that she had developed a friendship with the mother whose infant she had abducted. When the genuine mother went to the toilet the suspect abducted the child. For this reason pregnant mothers had hesitated to enter the Kalubowila Hospital for confinement.

The State Counsel further stated that the suspect had two children from her previous marriage. But her mother-in-law of the second marriage complained that she did not have a child through the second marriage. So she then pretended to be pregnant and when the time was ripe, abducted the infant.

Kohuwela Police located the child and the suspect at Thalapathpitiya in Nugegoda.

The State Counsel Rashmi Aslam appeared for the Attorney General.