A three-year-old girl, suspected to have been kidnapped from the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation bus-stand in Bangalore, was admitted to the Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS) here on Monday for extensive burns inflicted allegedly by a mason with a cigarette butt. The child has not been able to reveal details about her parents.
Tortured
“The child was physically tortured, but not sexually,” S. Diwakar, District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) officer, told The Hindu here on Tuesday.
The doctor added that the child was stable.
Child handed over
According to the police, a person identified as Hanumanthu of Kirugavalu in the district had handed over the child to his sister-in-law, Chikka Thayamma, on Sunday.
Ms. Thayamma, when later questioned by the police, revealed that since she did not have children of her own, she had asked Hanumanthu to let her bring up one of his three children.
When the child was handed over to her, Ms. Thayamma noticed severe burns on hands, legs, stomach, abdomen, cheeks and the back of the tiny tot.
She immediately admitted the girl to MIMS, filled up the necessary forms and left the hospital. The hospital authorities alerted the DCPU officials about the child.
“We visited the hospital immediately and conducted a preliminary inquiry. We have requested the police to trace the parents of the girl,” the officer said.
Hanumanthu is said to be a mason working in Bangalore. Ms. Thayamma told the police that he might have kidnapped the girl to satisfy her request for a child.
Meanwhile, Mandya MP Ramya, Mandya Superintendent of Police Borase Bhushan Gulabrao and officials visited the hospital on Tuesday.
Ms. Ramya requested the MIMS officials to take care of the child.
Detained
The police detained Hanumathu’s friend in Kanakapura in connection with the case on Tuesday night.
However, no case has been registered yet. The DCPU officials said that they will file a complaint under certain provisions of Indian Penal Code and other Acts against the accused.
