Baby abducted from maternity ward 'was smuggled out in bag'

A newborn snatched from a French maternity ward may have been smuggled out of hospital in a 'simple bag'. The tot, who was believed to have been just 17-days-old, vanished between 11pm and 11.30pm on Monday, October 21.

According to a witness, the baby may have been placed into a bag as he was taken out of the ward. Police issued an emergency alert across multiple communication platforms earlier today to inform members of the public of the incident.

The baby, called Santiago, was abducted from Robert-Ballanger hospital in Seine-Saint-Denis, Paris, France. He was described as having blond hair.

READ MORE: DWP will take money from your bank account or wages in major change

Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the BirminghamLive newsletter here.

Investigators identified the child's parents - a 23-year-old man and 25-year-old woman - as the only suspects in the case so far, Mirror reports. A manager at the hospital claimed they saw the parents leaving with the baby.

Speaking to French national outlet Le Parisien, the hospital manager said the couple were stopped by a nurse as they left the ward. The nurse asked if they planned to return by midnight, to which the reportedly responded "Yes."

T he manager said their movements did not raise suspicion at the time as staff are used to seeing new parents carrying clothes for their newborn children. The manager added: "Without a baby in their arms or in a stroller, the couple was only equipped with a simple bag, which did not attract the attention of the hospital staff who were used to seeing parents carrying clothes for their newborn."

The parents are believed to have driven off with the bag. Hospital representatives said it was the 'first time' they had seen an incident like this at Robert-Ballanger.

They added that all 'the necessary staff' were on shift when the parents left. Police have since arrested several people in Livry-Gargan, in Seine-Saint Denis, after carrying out searches at the parents' address in Noisy-le-Sec.

They also checked the registered addresses of family members, with those arrested reportedly being 'members of the baby's parents' entourage', according to French television channel TFI. No further details were provided.

Police have been unable to specify why the child was kidnapped but said those arrested are being questioned as part of an inquiry into alleged 'organised gang kidnapping'.