Too young to even realise that they were abandoned, they waited hungry and crying for two days. Their only hope was an 80-year-old woman who could hardly provide them solace with her deteriorating health. Their desperate cries alerted people in the neighbourhood to take notice of them — two young girls aged a-year-and-a-half and 8 months, abandoned by their parents with an old woman for two days at Illavattam at Palode in Thiruvananthapuram.
The girls are now in safe hands, with the Kerala State Child Welfare Council, which is their home now. Veni and Rani, were rescued by the police and panchayat officials, who handed them over to the adoption centre of the council on Saturday.
The old woman by the name ‘Baby,’ who was found with the two girls, has also been hospitalised.
According to the police, Jonah, the father of the children, was asked by a court to provide maintenance to his wife Jessy. When he failed to do so, Jessy left the children at Baby’s house where Jonah lived.
District Collector K.N. Satheesh, who is also administrator of the council, told a news conference here on Monday that the two will remain in the custody of the council till information about their parents’ were received and the girls returned to normal health.
