UP: Two Doctors arrested for falsely declaring newborn dead, selling infant

Balrampur: Two doctors associated with a private hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Balrampur district have been arrested for allegedly falsely declaring a newborn stillbirth and thereafter selling the baby to a different family.

In response to the complaint filed, the police have arrested them under section 311 of the IPC (cheating through transportation of life (theft of a child)).

As per IANS reports, the doctors allegedly sold the couple's newborn to the family of a councillor of Badhni Nagar Panchayat Ward No 2. The incident has caused great shock among the public and the councillor's family is on the run to avoid being arrested.

Having discovered their child had died, the birth parents were devastated, but the police reunited them with the newborn after it was found on Monday nearly a month later.

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The police identified that among the two arrested doctors, one is the owner of Mission Hospital and Maternal Child Surgical Center in Pachpedwa. They told the parents that the child was stillborn, senior police officials said on Thursday.

Inspector of Panchpedwa police station, Avadhesh Raj Singh, said that the complainant was identified as Pushpa Devi, wife of Jai Jai Ram, resident of Jhauwa village, near Gaura crossing in Balarampur.

“The woman said the doctor performed the Caesarean Section on her on October 29. After the operation, she remained in hospital for around a week during which she was informed that she gave birth to a stillborn child,” he stated.

According to a TOI report, the incident came to light after the mother grew suspicious of the doctor when he refused to give them their stillborn baby. Despite repeated requests, the doctor paid no heed to the parent's request.

One month later, a woman from the area, who claimed to be a relative of the councillor's family, notified the mother that she had delivered a healthy baby. However, two doctors allegedly sold the child to the councillor's family.

Following this, the birth parents filed a complaint at the Panchpedwa police station and an FIR was registered on Monday. The FIR followed the realisation that the doctors’ claims were false after she came to know about the sale of the child through various sources.

Inspector Raj Singh said the police raided a house in Badani, Siddartha Nagar, which belongs to the councillor and recovered the child from his house on the revelation made by the accused doctors. He said that the councillor had escaped before the arrival of the police and is said to have fled to Nepal. He said efforts are on to arrest him.

Tulsipur Circle Officer (CO), Raghvendra Singh, said the FIR was initially lodged against the two accused- one, the operator of Mission Hospital, in Judikuiya locality, under the Panchpedwa police station limits; and his colleague, resident of Badani, Siddartha Nagar; under section 311 of the IPC (cheating through transportation of life (theft of a child)).

He said the section attracts imprisonment for life and is liable for a fine. The CO said that the police would add the councillor’s name as the co-accused and further IPC sections and medical negligence would be added to the FIR during an investigation.

The CO further said that so far, investigations revealed that the doctor was the key operator in the case and was known to the councillor as he lives near the latter’s house in Badani, Siddartha Nagar.

He said the police are further verifying whether the two accused had sold any other child in the past.

Furthermore, the Balrampur chief medical officer was requested to submit a comprehensive report regarding the entire incident, and if the hospital's registration was deemed inadequate, further measures to seal the hospital would be taken.

After investigating the hospital, the health department found that it was running illegally and decided to seal the Mission Hospital and Maternal Child Surgical Center in Pachpedwa on Wednesday.

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