A baby girl was found abandoned at a farmer’s house in Umroli village of Palghar taluka on Sunday morning.
According to the Palghar police, Ramesh Shinde (57), his wife and three sons went to sleep around 1 a.m. on Sunday and woke up at 6.30 a.m. to the sight of a baby, who was placed on the cement blocks near their doorstep. The baby, about seven to eight days old, was found wrapped in a blanket, a police officer said.
Police constable Lankesh Gurav, Palghar police station, said, “On reaching Mr. Shinde’s house, we realised that the baby looked weak and unwell. We took her to the Palghar Rural Hospital.”
A doctor at the hospital said the baby was not making movements when she was brought in. “She had high fever and a low sugar level, and was not responding to treatment. However, there was an improvement in her condition by Monday afternoon. The baby is now stable but needs to undergo treatment to maintain the sugar level. Due to the absence of a neonatal intensive care unit in our hospital, the baby will soon be shifted to KEM or JJ Hospital,” the doctor said.
Mr. Gurav said the police have written to the Bal Kalyan Samiti of the district and once the baby has recovered, they will shift her to one of the State-run orphanages. “We have written to all the hospitals in the district to find out if any baby girl went missing from August 1 to 18. Anganwadi workers keep track of births in the taluka and we have asked them to check their records as well,” he said.
Meanwhile, two constables have been stationed at the hospital to ensure the baby’s safety. The Palghar police have filed a first information report of abandoning of a child under 12 years of age by parents against unknown persons under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.
