Pune: A six-day-old baby was found abandoned at Wagheshwar Garden in Wagholi around 8pm on Sunday.Senior inspector Yuvraj Hande of Wagholi police said some women strolling in the garden noticed a woman abandoning the baby under a bench and alerted the police when she did not return to pick up the child.“We handed over the baby, who appeared to be in good health, to an NGO at Sassoon General Hospital after seeking permission from the child welfare committee,” Hande said.A police team is conducting an inquiry in the areas around the garden to establish the identity of the child and the woman.“Information is being collected from maternity homes and hospitals to gather details of women delivering a male child in the last few days. In addition, CCTV footage is being analysed to establish the routes used by the mother before and after the crime,” Hande said.The police registered an FIR under section 93 (abandonment of a child) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.Child Welfare Committee (CWC) chairperson of Pune city region, Dr Rani Khedikar, said the child was kept under observation under the supervision of CWC officials at Sassoon Hospital to monitor its health condition.“The baby will later be shifted to a child care shelter. A public notice would be issued appealing to the parents to claim the baby, or else it will be given to the Central Adoption Resource Authority,” she said.Khedikar said if the parents wish to claim back the baby, they would have to undergo a DNA test to determine if they are the biological mother or father and furnish documents from the hospital where the baby was born, among other details, subject to verification by the police.
