A medical dispute emerged in Nazimabad, Karachi, after a citizen accused a private hospital’s staff of kidnapping his newborn baby after a surgery, while doctors claimed the patient was never pregnant and merely had abdominal gas.
Rashid Iqbal stated that his wife Zobia underwent regular check-ups with Dr. Anjum Ara Hasan starting February 27, 2026. According to Iqbal, the medical team tracked the pregnancy across 38 weeks, repeatedly evaluating the baby’s heartbeat, weight, head position and fluid levels before clearing the patient for delivery.
On August 27, 2026, at 2:00 PM, Iqbal brought Zobia to the private hospital in Nazimabad No. 3. Staff members placed the patient in the labor room, citing elevated blood pressure that required monitoring before proceeding. At midnight, Dr. Anjum Ara Hasan instructed family members to meet Zobia prior to surgery and requested clothes for the newborn.
Shortly after the medical team took Zobia into the labor room, staff members informed the family that no child had been delivered, stating the patient’s swollen abdomen contained only gas.
The announcement triggered protests, resulting in relatives vandalizing hospital property. Police personnel arrived at the scene, recorded statements from the administration and the family and launched an investigation.
Police surgeon Dr. Samia confirmed that a medical examination at Services Hospital revealed surgical marks on her body. Law enforcement officials ordered blood tests and an MRI, reserving the final medical report for release within two to three days.
Dr. Anjum Ara Hasan, Head of the Gynaecology Department, denied the family’s accusations in a video statement.
Hasan stated that Medico-Legal Officer (MLO) reports indicate Zobia was not pregnant. According to Hasan, Zobia first visited the facility in February claiming a three-month pregnancy, but the initial ultrasound returned negative.
Hasan alleged that the records inside Zobia’s file were forged and that the patient presented a fake ultrasound report from an external hospital on the day of admission. Hasan added that a duty doctor initiated the procedure after attempting to check for a heartbeat, only to discover during the operation that the patient was not pregnant.
According to the reports, Zobia’s weight prevented an immediate physical assessment upon arrival. Management sources also raised suspicion that the patient was substituted prior to entry, leading administrators to gather CCTV footage spanning the past eight to nine months.
