Police arrested five members of a gang that lifted a newborn from Salem Government Hospital five months ago.
After the arrests on Wednesday, police said that the 25-day-old boy, weighing 900 gm at birth, was taken from his mother Gomathy who was nursing him at Salem hospital, in March.
The kidnapped baby was later offered for adoption at a price by Chitra (28), a resident of Gnanamoorthy Nagar in Ambattur, to her neighbour Sukunasaraswathi (70), without any proper adoption papers.
Chitra demanded `1.4 lakh and handed over the underweight baby to Sukunasaraswathi on March 17 after receiving the money. Sukunasaraswathi took the newborn to a doctor who said that the baby was not in good health and required utmost care, upon which she contacted Chitra and returned the baby, asking for the money paid. Chitra, however said that the money had been distributed and it was impossible to retrieve it.
Meanwhile, the baby died in the custody of Chitra, who then stuffed the body in a plastic bag and got rid off it at the garbage pile near Chelliamman Koil in Ambattur. Chitra was reported to have been seen using abusive language against Sukunasaraswathi at the Ambattur Pudur bus stand, on Friday.
Subsequently, they were picked up by the Ambattur Police and interrogations revealed the sale of the kidnapped baby.
A nurse from private hospital, Sheeba Rajakumari, Salem General Hospital private security guard Kumar and Salem GH conservancy staff Palanivel and Pugazha Devi were also arrested for their part in the crime.
According to sources, Sheeba posed as the mother of the baby, pretending to be selling the baby out of sheer poverty.
The entire gang was arrested and remanded in judicial custody.
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