Suspected case of illegal adoption by faking birth certificate at Kochi

In a suspected case of illegal adoption in Kochi in Kerala, a birth certificate issued last week from the government medical college hospital at Kalamasserry in Kochi was found to be fake.

Even though the child welfare committee ordered that the child should be surrendered, the parents mentioned in the fake certificate the child could not be traced by the authorities.

An administrative assistant of the medical college, A Anilkumar, was suspended and Health Minister Veena George ordered a detailed probe.

The fresh row came close on the heels of three government doctors in the state being suspended for issuing health cards to hotel workers without any medical examination by accepting bribes.

The illegal adoption issue came to light after medical college authorities came across a fake birth certificate issued last week. The preliminary inquiry found that Anilkumar forged the hospital by generating an in-patient number and forging the doctor's signature and seal.

It is suspected that the fake birth certificate for a girl child born a few months back was issued in favour of another couple hailing from Kochi so as to change the name of parents and thereby facilitate illegal adoption. As per the fake certificate, it was mentioned that the child was born on January 31 noon to a couple in Kochi. But on verification at the the hospital it was found to be fake.

Causing much embarrassment to the state government, Anilkumar told a section of the media that several such fake medical certificates were issued earlier also and one was issued for a minister's son also. Anilkumar also said that he acted as per the directive of the medical college superintendent Dr. Ganesh Mohan, which the latter denied.

The fresh row is likely to snowball into a major controversy in the coming days and Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front could be raising it in the Assembly also.