A private hospital in Nalasopara was sealed after a newborn was allegedly sold for Rs 40,000 a day after a 17-year-old girl delivered the baby there, prompting a police investigation into suspected child trafficking, an unauthorised delivery and the alleged sexual assault of the minor.
Tulinj police have registered a case against the 22-year-old man accused of raping the minor, her mother, a woman neighbour, the doctor who allegedly conducted the delivery and a couple accused of buying the newborn. The case emerged after the girl was taken to a civic hospital with abdominal pain and doctors found that she had recently given birth.
According to the report, the minor, who lives in Nalasopara East, became pregnant while in a relationship with the 22-year-old man from the same locality. After her mother learnt about the pregnancy, the girl was admitted to Surya Hospital in Santosh Bhuvan, Nalasopara East, on Sunday.
Police said Dr Shaheen Shaikh allegedly conducted what they described as an illegal premature delivery at the private hospital. The newborn was allegedly handed over to a couple from Nalasopara for Rs 40,000 the following day. The girl was then discharged and returned home without the matter being reported to the authorities at that stage.
The girl later complained of abdominal pain and was taken to Tulinj Hospital, operated by the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation, on Monday. Doctors there identified signs that she had recently delivered a baby. Hospital authorities informed Tulinj police on Monday night, leading to the investigation.
Police Inspector Marathe of Tulinj police station said a case had been registered against the man accused of raping the minor, her mother, their woman neighbour and the couple alleged to have purchased the newborn. The 22-year-old man has been arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and remanded in police custody until Saturday.
Senior Inspector Vijay Jadhav said the couple accused of buying the baby had been childless for 14 years. The report did not state whether the newborn had been recovered or provide details about the child’s present medical condition.
Following the incident, the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation sealed Surya Hospital. Nilesh Deshmukh, chairman of the civic body’s health department, said strict action would be taken against those involved in conducting illegal deliveries. The police investigation and the civic body’s action against the hospital are now the next official steps in the case.
