Two day old dumped at temple, survives

New Delhi: Barely a two-day-old baby was found abandoned on the steps of a temple in southwest Delhi’s Todapur area in the early hours on Thursday.

The baby, who had been left at the steps of Shani temple, was wrapped in a bedsheet and when she started crying, some labourers and the temple priest on hearing her, made a PCR call around 2.30 am, said a police officer.

The newborn was immediately rushed to R.M.L. Hospital where initially her condition was critical, but by the evening it improved, the police said.

“A case under Section 317 (exposure and abandonment of child under 12 years, by parent or person having care of it) of the IPC has been registered at the Inderpuri police station. The baby is healthy and responding well. She is currently at R.M.L. Hospital nursery,” said DCP (southwest) Surender Kumar.

Hospital authorities said that the baby is stable now and they are conducting tests.

“We are now conducting a series of tests to see if the baby is fit for adoption,” said Dr Aarti Maria, HoD, Neonatology, RML. Somebody must have left her when she was sleeping and when the cold wind hit her, she woke up and started crying, the police said.

The area where the infant was found abandoned didn’t have CCTV cameras and it is not known as to how long was the infant lying in cold, the police said.

The police is looking for the parents of the infant and trying to ascertain whether they had any role in abandoning her.

The staff of Inderpuri police station is taking care of the newborn with the SHO of the police station present at the hospital, the police said. Around four people have come forward to help the baby.