36-year-old Bengaluru Psychiatrist sentenced to 10 years in jail for selling newborn
Doctor Sentenced to Imprisonment
Bengaluru: A city-based 36-year-old psychiatrist was recently sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for abducting and selling a newborn baby. Apart from this, the city court Judge C B Santosh also fined the psychiatrist Rs 1 lakh.
It was revealed in the investigation that after fake promising a surrogate baby to a couple, the psychiatrist resorted to crime as she abducted a newborn baby from her parents at BBMP (civic body) Hospital in Chamarajpet and sold him for Rs 14.5 lakh back in 2020.
The psychiatrist has been identified as Dr Rashmi Shashikumar, a resident of Nagarbhavi, and she was present in court when the District Court delivered the verdict on February 19. Rashmi, who was out on bail, was immediately taken into custody and sent to Bengaluru Central Prison, PTI has reported.
The history of the case goes back to May 29, 2020. When the child's mother, who had just given birth, fell asleep after taking medication prescribed by a doctor, the child was stolen by the accused.
After the baby's mother woke up 45 minutes later, her baby was missing and immediately a police complaint was lodged. However, it took nearly a year to trace the child and arrest the accused.
On May 29, 2021, police recovered the infant from a couple in North Karnataka, who had been misled into believing the baby was theirs through surrogacy. Shockingly, when officers arrived at their home, they found the couple joyfully celebrating the child’s first birthday, unaware of the deception.
The investigation was a painstaking effort involving over 700 witness interviews, the analysis of 300 CCTV recordings, and the examination of 5,000 phone call records. With the help of CCTV footage, police created a suspect’s sketch, which eventually led them to Rashmi and the unsuspecting couple.
According to the chargesheet, the doctor had met the couple in 2015 while working at a private hospital in Hubballi. The couple had a child with special needs, and she assured them that surrogacy could help them have a healthy baby.
In 2019, she collected biological samples from the father, falsely claiming she had found a surrogate mother in Bengaluru. She also took Rs 14.5 lakh from them, promising a baby by May 2020.
As the date approached, she identified BBMP Hospital as her target due to its lax security. She visited the maternity ward multiple times before carrying out the abduction.
On May 29, she instructed a hospital attendant to give the mother sleeping pills. Once the mother was unconscious, the doctor took the baby and left. She handed the child over to the couple at a friend’s house in Vijayanagar.
The trial was filled with emotional moments as both the biological parents and the North Karnataka couple recounted their experiences. The child’s biological parents had lost all hope of seeing their son again, while the woman who had raised him for a year was devastated upon learning the truth.
Public prosecutor B H Bhaskar stated that DNA tests confirmed the child’s biological parents. Additionally, bank records showed that the doctor had received Rs 14.5 lakh from the couple, and phone records revealed a longstanding connection between them. Mobile tower data further placed her at the hospital on the day of the kidnapping. These pieces of evidence were crucial in securing her conviction.
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