Kerala police track down Jharkhand couple who abandoned newborn baby in Kochi

Thiruvananthapuram: A newborn abandoned by her migrant worker parents at a hospital in Kerala owing to financial stress could now possibly reunite with them as the police traced the couple in Jharkhand and arranged a virtual reunion on Wednesday.

Police personnel from Jharkhand who came down to Kerala to participate in the recently held All India police badminton tournament helped in tracing the parents. On Wednesday the police and child welfare authorities arranged a video call for the parents to see the child.

District child protection authorities told DH that a decision on handing over the child to the parents would be taken after verifying their social background and capabilities to take care of the child. The couple were asked to come down after the video call on Wednesday.

Jharkhand native Mangaleswar's wife Rajitha gave birth to the baby at the government general hospital in Kochi on January 29. The baby, who was only 28 weeks and required specialised care was shifted to a private hospital as per the advice of doctors.

The couple, who worked at a fish farm, could not afford the treatment cost and were also doubtful about the chances of survival of the baby. This made them abandon the child at the hospital after paying an initial bill of around Rs 25,000.

Subsequently, the district child welfare authorities took care of the baby, who is now healthy. She was also named 'Nidhi' (Malayalam word for treasure).

Meanwhile, the Kochi city police had registered a case and started an investigation. Police officials in Kochi shared the information with their counterparts in Jharkhand who came down for the badminton tournament. They helped in tracing the parents. The couple were even unaware of the police case against them.