Young woman arrested for baby theft had waited 5 hours until she was able to get him from her room
Cauane took newborn Ravi in the early hours of the morning after his birth, and now the young woman will face charges of stealing disability, a crime punishable by up to 6 years in prison.
Seven hours after the kidnapping, the child was returned to his mother's arms - - Photo Reproduction/TV Globo
Cauane Malaquias da Costa, aged 19, was arrested for kidnapping of boy Ravi Cunha, who was taken when he was just one day old to the Maria Amélia Buarque de Hollanda Municipal Maternity Hospital, during the early hours of last Wednesday (1st). She waited approximately five hours at the health facility until the opportunity to pick up the baby arose.
Delegate Mario Jorge Ribeiro de Andrade, who works as head of the 4th Police Station, located in Praça da República, mentions the possibility of “premeditation”. Cauane had claimed to be pregnant and stated, including to the military police officers who arrested her, that the newborn was hers. She will now face charges of disability abduction with possible placement in a foster home. The penalty associated with this crime can reach up to 6 years in prison.
The Baby Theft
Ravi came into the world last Tuesday (31), as the son of Nívea Maria and Matheus Maranhão, born in Maria Amélia Buarque de Hollanda Municipal Maternity Hospital, located on the outskirts of Praça da República, in the heart of Rio de Janeiro. In the early hours of the following day (early morning this Wednesday), after breastfeeding Ravi, Nívea decided to take a nap next to her mother-in-law, Patrícia, who also ended up sleeping. In the ward, four other mothers and their newborns rested peacefully.
Around 2am on the same Wednesday, the maternity ward's monitoring cameras captured the moment Cauane walked through the corridors until entering the infirmary, carrying at least three bags. The police discovered that Cauane was at the maternity ward on Tuesday, the 31st, to visit her friend, Raiane, who had given birth. She arrived at the unit between 10:30 am and 11 am. In his testimony, Cauane stated that he visited his friend and admitted that he wandered through the hospital corridors. At around 3 pm, she passed by the ward, saw Ravi, the newborn, and became interested in the child.
The young woman told the police that she sat in a chair, talked to someone and then returned home, keeping the sticker she had received to visit Raiane. At around 7pm, Cauane left the house with three bags, put on the previously saved sticker and entered the hospital without any problems. Previously, the possibility of an invasion through the balcony had been considered. Cauane waited for about 5 hours until he found an opportunity to catch Ravi.
Woman who invaded maternity ward with purse and bag was arrested at home, in Borel - Photo Reproduction/TV Globo
Motivations
When asked why she acted this way, she chose to remain silent. I believe the motivation behind this was to raise the child as if he were his own son, since he already had a boyfriend, said the police chief. According to him, the young invented it for her boyfriend who was pregnant, and for your whole family too. Cauane admitted to having undergone a false pregnancy, although her family did not believe it.
She claimed to have taken photos not only of the reception, but also of the infirmary, telling relatives that she was going into hospital to give birth. When she arrived at the 4th Police Station, in Praça da República, she was confronted by Ravi's paternal grandmother, Patrícia Cunha Figueira.
"Why did you do this to us? Why? May Jesus forgive you! He loves you! May He have mercy!"
According to the delegate, the images captured show a woman carrying a bag and claiming to be accompanying a patient from room 307. However, surprisingly, room 307 was unoccupied at that time, with no one present. Employees suspect that Cauane entered the maternity ward through one of the balconies and left the place through the front door, taking Ravi hidden in one of the bags.
Baby recovered
At 8:20 am, a news team at the entrance to the health unit captured the moment when Davi Figueira, Ravi's paternal grandfather, received a call informing him that his grandson had been found. A neighbor of Cauane, in Morro do Borel, made an anonymous complaint, and UPP police officers from the Tijuca community went to her house. Upon arriving at the residence, the police caught Cauane with Ravi in his arms. She claimed to be the child's mother, but ended up being arrested. By 9am, Ravi was back in his mother's arms.
