Juhu couple abandon newborn in rickshaw due to financial problems

The Santacruz police suspected foul play and questioned the couple and enquired with their neighbours in Juhu Galli in Andheri West about them when the residents said that they knew about the birth of the child on July 29. However, the next day they did not see the child with the couple

MUMBAI: Unable to afford the expenses of the second child, a Juhu-based couple on Tuesday abandoned their two-day-old son in an autorickshaw in Santacruz and made a fake narrative of their child being abducted when neighbours and relatives started questioning them about the whereabouts of the baby.

Juhu couple abandon newborn in rickshaw due to financial problems

The Santacruz police arrested the accused, Imran Khan, 28, and booked his wife Rehnuma, 25, for abandoning their child, who was found in a parked autorickshaw three days ago near Khira Nagar in Santacruz.

On July 30, Khan and Rehnuma approached the Juhu police, complaining that their newborn son was kidnapped by unidentified people from the rickshaw that they were travelling. The police registered a case and began scanning the CCTV recordings of the spot mentioned by them.

Officials said that the same day the Santacruz police found a newborn baby in an autorickshaw in Khira Nagar parking, the couple identified the child as their son.

The Santacruz police suspected foul play and questioned the couple and enquired with their neighbours in Juhu Galli in Andheri West about them when the residents said that they knew about the birth of the child on July 29. However, the next day they did not see the child with the couple.

“While questioning Khan and his wife, they broke down and told the police that they already had a one-and-a-half-year-old son and could not afford the expenses of another child and therefore left him in an auto-rickshaw,” said the officer.

Both the mother and the child were admitted to Bhabha Hospital for weakness and dehydration, respectively.

The Juhu police have handed Khan to the Santacruz police for further investigation.

“We are questioning Khan to find out whether the child was abandoned for financial reasons or something else,” said Ajitkumar Vartak, senior police inspector of Juhu police station.