From having two moms to none: Shocking case of HIV+ adopted baby in Mumbai

While campaigns are in full swing to encourage legal adoption, illegal adoptions continue to rise

In Mumbai, a Hindu woman gave birth to a baby at KEM Hospital by fraudulently using the Aadhaar card of a Muslim woman, who sought to adopt the baby without going through the legal process, the TOI reported.

According to the report, the Muslim woman wanted another child after suffering a miscarriage during her second pregnancy, while the Hindu woman did not want the baby due to her husband's drug addiction.

The two women struck a deal: the Muslim woman promised to adopt the child, and the Hindu woman delivered the baby using the Muslim woman’s Aadhaar card in October 2024. A birth certificate was issued listing the Muslim woman as the child’s mother.

However, the situation took a turn when, after an appendicitis surgery at Wadia Hospital in January 2025, it was discovered that the baby was HIV positive. Upon learning this, the Muslim woman disowned the child.

The Muslim woman later revealed the details of the fraudulent arrangement to hospital staff, who alerted the local Sakhi Centre for Women and Child Welfare in Mumbai. The Sakhi Centre then notified the Thane District Child Protection Helpline, which tried to trace the Muslim woman. They were unable to locate her but obtained the phone number of the woman who gave birth to the baby.

On February 28, a zero FIR was filed at the Manpada Police Station in Thane, and the case was transferred to the Bhoiwada Police Station in Mumbai for further investigation.

The state's women and child welfare department has lodged a zero FIR against both women for giving up or accepting and selling or buying a child illegally under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. The baby has currently been admitted to a hospital in Kalwa, the report said.

According to the Juvenile Justice Act of 2015, if the legal procedure isn’t followed, the accused can face up to three years in jail and a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh.

In India, adoption is governed by multiple laws including the Juvenile Justice Act of 2015, the Guardian and Ward Act of 1980 and The Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act of 1956.