‘Have asked parents to take back abandoned baby: Police

Police traced the parents of an abandoned baby girl in Panvel to Bhiwandi within 24 hours; they had secretly married and feared family rejection.

PANVEL: Within 24 hours of a two-day old baby girl being found abandoned at Takka in Panvel on Saturday morning, police have traced her parents to Bhiwandi. Both the mother and father are from well-to-do families and they abandoned the baby as their family members did not know about their marriage last year, police said. The couple has been asked to take back the child, presently under the Child Welfare Committee’s (CWC) custody, police officers familiar with the case told Hindustan Times.

A handwritten note in English, placed in the basket she was found in, said her parents were abandoning her due to their “mental and financial” situation (HT PHOTO)

The baby was discovered around 6.30am on Saturday on the footpath outside Swapnalay girls’ orphanage at Moraj Residency in Takka colony. A handwritten note in English, placed in the basket she was found in, said her parents were abandoning her due to their “mental and financial” situation.

The discovery triggered widespread concern and Panvel MLA Prashant Thakur said on Saturday that all necessary steps would be taken to ensure the child’s safety and secure her future.

During investigation, unit central unit-II of the Panvel crime branch found footage from a CCTV camera installed along the road opposite the orphanage which showed a burqa-clad woman abandoning the baby at the spot in the early hours on Saturday, said police.

“The footage showed a burqa-clad woman alighting from a car with a basket at 2.42 am. The woman crossed the road and placed the basket with the baby near the orphanage, then went back to the car. The car left the spot by 2.44am as another vehicle passed by,” said a police officer who requested anonymity.

Assistant commissioner of police (crime) Ajay Landge said the baby’s parents were traced based on CCTV footage of the car and other technical leads.

“The mother and father are 23 and 24 years old, respectively. Both are educated, from well-to-do families and live in Bhiwandi,” said Landge.

Senior police inspector Nitin Thakare from Panvel city police station said they interrogated both parents on Sunday.

“The couple said they had married secretly last year and since their families didn’t know about it, they could not keep the child. We have let off with a warning and asked them to take back the child after due process,” said Thakare.

The baby is currently under the CWC’s custody at Vatsalya Punarvikas Kendra, a rehabilitation centre in Alibaug.