Newborn found abandoned in Navi Mumbai: Parents dumped baby to cover up secret marriage, say police

CCTV footage that captured the child’s mother (in burqa) abandoning her (in blue basket) outside a hostel. Pic/ By Special Arrangement

Within 24 hours of the discovery of a two-day-old girl in a basket on a footpath outside a hostel in Takka, Panvel, on June 28, the police arrested her biological parents, a 24-year-old man and his 23-year-old wife, who are related. According to the cops, the couple, both college graduates, had been hiding their one-year-old marriage and had abandoned the baby out of fear of being "caught".

Senior Police Inspector Nitin Thakare of the Panvel City police station, who is heading the investigation into the matter, said, "We found out during questioning that not were the man and woman in a relationship; they had been legally married for a year. But they had kept it a secret from their families." The couple told the police that when their daughter was born, the matter of explaining the birth to their families led them to take the drastic step of abandoning the child.

The note left behind by the couple. Pics/By Special Arrangement

According to police sources, the couple panicked when the news of the baby's abandonment went viral on social media and was covered by the traditional media. They were about to surrender when the police, using CCTV footage and local informants, nabbed them. "They feared social backlash and the humiliation of their family if knowledge of their marriage and the baby's birth became public. This drove them to commit this shocking act," said Thakare.

Now, couple wants kid

Now in custody, the couple is pleading with the authorities to return the baby to them. They have told police and the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) that they are not financially or mentally unstable and are ready to fulfil any legal process to get their daughter back. A CWC official said, "The baby is safe and stable. If the biological parents want her back, they must submit a written undertaking in front of four witnesses, promising to take care of her. The process usually takes seven to 10 days."

A still from CCTV footage of the child's mother (encircled) outside the hostel

Legal proceedings under Section 93 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita - which deals with the exposure and abandonment of a child under the age of twelve - are underway, but the police say the intent was not to harm the child, but rather to avoid societal stigma. A child rights expert added, "This is what happens when fear of ‘log kya kahenge' [what will people say] outweighs love and responsibility. A legally married couple abandoned their child just to keep secrets intact."

A small note that speaks volumes

A note left behind by the parents when the child was abandoned in a basket outside the Swapnalay Girls' Hostel reads, "We are sorry. We couldn't raise her. Please don't involve anyone. We will come back for her someday. We are close to her."