Turkish cops catch bogus cop trying to steal baby from a hospital ward while miracle newborn pulled from rubble is moved to a ‘safe place’ as orphan kidnap fears grow after quake disaster
- Turkish police detained a man trying to steal a baby amid child kidnapping fears
- Read more: Baby found in rubble moved after hospital invaded by intruders
A man dressed as a policeman trying to steal a baby from a hospital in southern Turkey following the catastrophic earthquake has been detained.
Hospital staff quickly realised that the man was an imposter and called the real police to protect the baby, who has not been named.
Parents in the affected regions have expressed concern over spates of reported child kidnappings during the chaotic rescue mission.
It comes after ‘Miracle Baby’ Aya, who was born in the rubble of her collapsed home in Syria, was moved to a secure location over kidnapping fears.
A 7.8-magnitude quake unleashed chaos in southeastern Turkey and parts of Syria, killing nearly 40,000 people and displacing millions in both countries.
A week-old baby, named Aya (pictured) – Arabic for ‘a sign from God’ – has been at a hospital in north Syria ever since she was pulled from underneath the rubble with her umbilical cord still attached to her mother
Aya (pictured), whose mother, father and four siblings died in the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6, has been closely followed since her birth and people from around the world have been offering to help her
A man walked into a hospital pretending to be a police chief in the Samandag district of the quake-affected province of Hatay, Anadolu said on Wednesday.
Read more: Miracle in the 248th hour after girl, 17, is found in earthquake rubble 11758039
When hospital staff realised his police ID card was fake and called the real police, the man was arrested.
When officers detained the man, they found fake police and military ID cards, gold and money in Turkish lira, dollars and euros worth around $6,500.
The agency did not provide information about the baby.
Some parents in the region have expressed alarm over rumoured child kidnappings.
Turkish Family Minister Derya Yanik on Monday said at least 1,362 children had been separated from their families by the quake.
The reports come after ‘Miracle baby’ Aya, who was born under the rubble of her destroyed home in Syria, was given police protection over kidnapping fears.
Aya, whose mother, father and four siblings died in the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6, has been closely followed since her birth and people from around the world have been offering to help her.
But several people have shown up falsely claiming to be Aya’s relatives, prompting local policemen to guard her as she lays in an incubator.
A rescuer carries a baby girl – Aya – after pulling her from the rubble caused by an earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey in the town of Jinderis, Syria, on Tuesday February 7
On Monday night, gunmen stormed the hospital where Aya is receiving care and beat the clinic’s director, Doctor Attiah, an official said today.
The official denied reports on social media claiming that the attack was an attempt to kidnap Aya.
The official, who spoke condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said the hospital’s director had suspected that a nurse who was taking pictures of Aya was planning to kidnap her and kicked him out of the hospital.
The nurse returned hours later accompanied by gunmen who beat up Dr Attiah.
Dr Attiah, who also has a baby daughter, said last week: ‘I won’t allow anyone to adopt her now. Until her distant family return, I’m treating her like one of my own.’
Locals and non-governmental organizations continue search and rescue efforts in Jindires district after north-western Syria was hit by 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes centered in Turkiye, in Aleppo, Syria on February 14
Rescuers were focusing their efforts on three provinces hit hard by the devastating quakes that hit Turkey and Syria last week
For now, his wife is breastfeeding Ana alongside their own daughter.
Upon arrival at the hospital, the gunmen told local police officers protecting the girl that they were going after the director for firing their friend. They said they were not interested in Aya, according to the official.
Rescue workers in Jenderis discovered Aya on Monday afternoon last week, more than 10 hours after the quake hit, as they were digging through the wreckage of the five-story apartment building where her parents lived.
Buried under the concrete, the baby still was connected by her umbilical cord to her mother, Afraa Abu Hadiya, who was dead along with her husband and four other children.
The baby was rushed to the hospital in nearby Afrin, where she has been cared for since.
She will be raised by her paternal aunt, according to her great-uncle.
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