Mumbai: Four women, including mother, held for abandoning toddler

Mumbai Police in Tilak Nagar have arrested four women for allegedly abandoning a six-month-old girl in Hyderabad.

The matter surfaced when the toddler’s father approached the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) alleging that his wife and the child’s mother had “sold” the girl to someone in Hyderabad. The CWC approached the police and registered a case against the mother, identified as Shameena Khatun Abdul Shah, 34.

Child's father or her family did not help her, claims mother

After filing the first information report on March 28, the police questioned the mother, a resident of Govandi. According to Shameena, the child was born in Mumbai on September 9, 2022. However, her health started deteriorating and Shameena did not have the money to meet hospital expenses. She said the father did not help her either.

“Nobody from his family helped me with money for treatment of my child, so I was forced to send my daughter to Hyderabad where one of my friends had a connection with a hospital and who agreed to help my daughter with treatment,” Shameena said in her statement to the police.

Child found in totally healthy condition

A police team visited Hyderabad in the course of the investigation. “We found the child, who was with three women. They claimed to be friends with Shameena. The child was six-months-old when we rescued her. She was found in totally healthy condition,” an officer said.

The three women have been identified as Shabana Karm Alam Shaikh, 40, resident of Mumbra, Mahajabeen Ayub Khan, 28, resident of Jogeshwari, and Zubeeda Rafiq Sayyed, 51, resident of Trombay in Mankhurd.

They and the mother, Shameena, have been arrested under Section 317 (exposure and abandonment of child under 12 years) and 34 (common intent) of the Indian Penal Code.

Child handed over to the CWC

Meanwhile, the father continues to allege that the girl was “sold” and illegally given up for adoption by the mother. However, the police have found no evidence that the toddler was sold and his allegations stand to be non-substantial. Senior Inspector Sunil Kale confirmed that the police have not found any financial transaction between the mother and the three other accused.

“As claimed by the complainant that the child was sold, we have not found any documents or transaction proof between them to substantiate the claim of selling the child for money. However, we are probing further to find out more in the case,” Kale said.

The child was handed over to the CWC as both parents were termed to be incapable of taking care of her, the police said. Currently she is with Vatsalya Trust, a central adoption and resource agency based in Kanjurmarg.