A woman has been arrested on suspicion of kidnapping a four-day-old baby from a hospital in Kitakyushu, police said Saturday.
The woman, who has been named as Yukie Sugimoto, 24, is accused of taking the newborn baby girl from the hospital on Thursday night. Police say that Sugimoto is not acquainted with the girl's mother, Naomi Hirota, 35.
According to a report on TV Asahi, Sugimoto allegedly took the baby to the home she shares with her partner. The man told police he immediately became alarmed and reported what had happened. The baby was taken into care and returned safely to her mother 3 1/2 hours after being taken from the hospital.
During police questioning, Sugimoto denied the kidnapping. She was quoted by police as saying that she found the infant in a cardboard box and brought her home, TV Asahi reported.
© Japan Today
18 Comments
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Christina O'Neill
Unlikely ,...her defence that she found this tiny baby in a cardboard box, good her partner called the police. Bad the security at the hospital that the kidnapper was able to take the little one The parents must be relieved to have their child safely returned an awfull ordeal for them to contend with
steve@CPFC
This woman needs help. Thankfully the child is safe and too young to suffer from the ordeal. the hospital should be closed down and the owners charged and hopefully sent to prison.
nath
How sad that she had got herself into a state where she believed that it was ok to take someone else's baby. Glad though, that the baby and real mother were reunited without any great harm done. It sounds like Sugimoto needs help from a psychologist.
Mentaiko2
What a terrible thing for this family to go through. Sugimoto's boyfriend must be praised. He quickly responded and this baby could be reunited with her/his mum before something even more awful happened.
CrazyJoe
There are people who steal babies and those that abandon them. It's good the baby was returned to the mother safely.
Juan Rodriguez
The hospital's cameras should provide more than enough prove.
jonobugs
Wow....sounds like every parent's nightmare. I agree that the hospital needs to beef up it's security, but prison time? At most they are negligent. I don't see any criminal intent there.
As for the woman, she definitely needs help, hopefully before something worse happens. I'm thinking that her boyfriend might be questioning himself on whether or not he wants to remain her boyfriend.
WilliB
I don´t get this at all. Why does a 24-year old woman have to kidnap a baby, if she wants one? DIY is not only legal, but also sort of more pleasant. Or what?
Must be a mental case.
gaijinfo
You know your girlfriend is a nutjob when she brings a baby home from shopping.
Nicky Washida
I just dont understand how this can even happen? The nurseries are always staffed, and from birth the mother and baby are given matching wrist tags and when you pick up your baby from the nursery they always check the tags to make sure you have the right baby. It is basic procedure I thought.
This poor mother must have gone through hell for those few short hours, but I also wonder what drove the kidnapper to do this - obviously something very very wrong there.
CrazyJoe
This woman lives with her common law husband and her 4 year old daughter.
HawaiiVisitor
I am surprised she did not tell her boyfriend that she got the baby from a vending machine.
warnerbro
God help us, the suspect has previously gone forth and multiplied?
Elbuda Mexicano
Over in Colombia etc...stealing babies is a big problem worse than in Kita Kyushu because they sell off the babies internal organs etc.. I pray this will not be a problem here on Japan and I must agree with Steve from the old country that This hospital needs to be fined $$$$!!! So scary for this innocent baby and family.
bicultural
Maybe she was trying to give her boyfriend a hint. Joking aside, I have to question the "security" at this hospital.
whiskeysour
Baby Snatchers !!!! ANOTHER SCARY HALLOWEEN STORY FROM JAPAN
torosushi
man at home after seeing the baby: is that ours?? puzzled
tokyokawasaki
One word: Security?