Surekha Pratap Kavadi (25), the woman who stole a baby girl from KIMS Hospital in Hubballi and subsequently caught by the police, committed suicide in Dharwad prison.
According to the jail authorities, Surekha was remanded in judicial custody after she her arrest on Tuesday. She committed suicide by hanging herself with her dupatta on Wednesday night.
Jail Superintendent Ramesh P.S. told The Hindu that the woman committed suicide by hanging herself to the window bar in the toilet of the woman’s barrack in the prison.
Alerted
“The incident happened in the toilet of barrack no. 3 where in all 21 women are lodged. The incident happened around 11 p.m. on Wednesday and we were alerted at 11.15 p.m. Immediately the prison doctor examined her and she was declared dead,” he said.
On Thursday morning, as per procedure, a magisterial inquiry was conducted and the body was handed over for post-mortem. A case of unnatural death has been registered at Suburban Police Station in Dharwad.
A day after Surekha stole the baby girl from KIMS Hospital, the police were able to trace her and return the baby to her parents Shrinivas and Anita. Surekha, a native of Harapanahalli in Davanagere district, had shifted to Dharwad and was working as a daily wage labourer like her husband in Dharwad and was residing at Laxmisinganakeri locality. Investigation revealed that Surekha had undergone an abortion in the same hospital few days ago, but longed for a child. She stole the baby in the guise of a nurse and on the pretext of getting an injection administered to the baby.
She had been remanded in judicial custody after
her arrest on Tuesday
