On Friday morning, Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel were greeted with a unique passenger — a baby boy, believed to be about one month old, abandoned on a train.
According to the RPF, some passengers of the S7 coach of Dadar Express, which had just commenced its journey from Chennai Egmore at 6.50 a.m., spotted the baby lying on a berth. “There was no one next to it,” said an RPF officer.
The passengers informed the ticket collector, who passed on the information to station authorities.
RPF personnel stopped the train at Beach station and rescued the baby.
“We almost never find newborn infants abandoned. A few women RPF personnel fed the baby, as it appeared hungry,” said the officer.
The RPF sent the infant to Don Bosco Anbu Illam, a non-governmental organisation.
Steps are being taken to trace the parents with the help of CCTV cameras at various stations, the officer said.
“No one has claimed the infant as yet. We do not know if it was abandoned or abducted and then left,” said the officer.
According to the RPF, a large number of children are found at the city’s railway stations every year.
Until March this year, 68 minor children were found, while the figure stood at 203 and 225 for the 2012 and 2011 respectively.
Staff members of Don Bosco Anbu Illam said this was the second child they had taken in this year.
“Usually no one comes searching for these children. They just grow up here,” said a staff member.
