Mother arrested after baby girl 'abducted' from West Midlands hospital
The mother of a seven-week-old baby has been arrested on suspicion of abducting her daughter from hospital.
The baby girl, who is subject to child protection arrangements, was taken from Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham at around 8.30am on Sunday.
A major operation was launched to track the mother and daughter down and 12 hours later they were both found at a property in Sparkhill, West Midlands Police said.
They were tracked down after police stopped and searched several cars and two women were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
The 43-year-old mother was then arrested on suspicion of child abduction and remained in custody overnight.
Detective Inspector Neil Hunt, who led the operation, said: “It has been our absolute priority throughout the day to ensure the safety of the baby girl and I am happy to say that she has been well cared for.
“Sadly it has been necessary to arrest her mother, but we will be working with partner agencies to achieve the best outcome for the child.”
The two other female suspects have been released pending further enquiries.
