FIR against doctor, 4 others for alleged attempt to sell newborn
Doctors Booked
Mumbai: An FIR has been registered against a doctor and four others from a Govandi hospital for allegedly trying to sell a newborn baby boy for Rs 5 lakh.
According to the police, the doctor and hospital staff manager helped a 20-year-old unmarried woman, known to the doctor, in delivering her baby at the hospital without following the required medical or legal procedures. The woman, who was eight months pregnant, gave birth prematurely.
Soon after the birth, the woman abandoned the child, and the accused then handed over the baby to a woman identified as Shama alias Shafa alias Tom Boy, who, in turn, took the infant to another woman, Darshana, to sell the baby.
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The case surfaced on Saturday after a tip-off, following which the police raided the hospital and found the doctor involved in the illegal activities. The group were trying to sell the baby for Rs 5 lakh.
A case has been registered under sections 93 (offense of abandoning a child under 12 years of age by a parent or legal guardian), 143(4) (punishment for the trafficking of a child) and 3(5) (joint liability for a criminal act) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS); sections 75 and 81 (punishment for cruelty to a child) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015; sections 8 and 25 of the Birth and Death Registration Act; and Sections 33 and 36 of the Maharashtra Medical Professions Act, 1961.
A Shivaji Nagar police officer told HT, "We have registered a case and are investigating further. The probe aims to identify the intended buyer and to establish whether the accused were involved in similar offences earlier."
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