A doctor at a private nursing home in Baghpat district allegedly held parents to ransom by holding on their baby, as the couple could not pay the hospital bills of ₹40,000.
Anil Kumar Singh, Additional Superintendent of Police, said a couple of days ago the police got a complaint from a Scheduled Caste couple from Bijrol village of Baghpat. According to the complaint, Shikha, wife of Mohar Singh, gave birth to a child in Usha Nursing Home of Baraut in September 2018. They were not in a condition to pay ₹40,000, the bill for C-section. When they paid ₹10,000 only, they were asked to give thumb impressions on blank papers and were told that the infant would remain with the hospital till they pay the rest of the amount. “When they returned to pay the amount, they were allegedly driven out,” said Mr. Singh.
He said after the police started investigating the case, the couple started changing the statement. “They alleged that the doctor sold the child in Muzaffarnagar. We are looking into that angle.”
Mr. Mohar also told local reporters that some people tried to kidnap him.
Teshu Hooda, the doctor at the Usha Nursing Home, said they were not in the wrong. “When the police approached us, we submitted all the documents. Shikha delivered a male child by C-section and the couple had made the required payment.”
Local sources said the two parties seem to have reached a compromise.
