Officers arrest baby snatcher
A 38-year-old woman alleged to have kidnapped a newborn baby from a maternity clinic with the aim of presenting it as her own to her boyfriend was arrested yesterday at her home in Aegaleo, western Athens. Police were alerted yesterday morning by authorities at the Elena Venizelou Maternity Hospital in Ambelokipi, near the city center. They said the infant’s mother, an Albanian immigrant, had woken up to find her baby gone. Hospital staff said a woman fitting the description of the 38-year-old had been seen outside the ward on Wednesday night and had tried to get herself admitted to the clinic without success. The suspect, who has two children of her own, allegedly admitted to stealing the baby, telling police she had miscarried three months ago and had since been stuffing her clothes so her partner would think she was still pregnant. Police were contacted by a neighbor of the suspect who saw her returning home carrying an infant. A probe is to determine whether any clinic staff should be charged with negligence.
