This is the chilling moment a newborn was allegedly stolen from a hospital ward in India.

The baby boy was sleeping in a crib at the Special Newborn Care Unit of Sadar Hospital when an unidentified barged into the room in Bihar on September 15 at 5:45 pm.

CCTV footage shows the alleged kidnapper casually lifting the youngster from his bed. She covered his face with a cloth and walked out of the room. A nurse was seen at the entrance when she walked in but ignored her.

Medics were unaware that the child had been missing until the mum, Nandini Devi, went to the ward to nurse her son at 7 pm.

Begusarai City's civil surgeon, Dr Pramod Kumar Singh, said: ‘People frequent the hospital premises, so it is difficult to identify the child's mother among other relatives.'

The father was contacted as his wife and medics looked for the son. He rushed to the hospital and said he had not seen the baby since 2 pm that day when he left.

He said: ‘We don't know what to do. It is clearly a security breach at the hospital. They should return my child immediately.'

CCTV outside the building also shows the woman who allegedly stole the baby carrying a bundled-up cloth to her chest, believed to be the missing youngster. She was walking alongside two other women.

The hospital has not provided information on the baby's disappearance while an investigation was launched.