Man arrested on the way to dump newborn baby girl

The accused confessed that the baby was his own daughter from an illegitimate relationship with his aunt

MUMBAI: A 28-year-old man was arrested on May 24 while trying to abandon a newborn girl, who he later admitted was his illegitimate child with his aunt, according to the police.

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The accused, Dashrath Shivsaran from Bhandup, was in an auto rickshaw when officers from the Parksite police spotted him in front of the Bharat Petrol Pump at Gandhinagar junction around 7pm, carrying something in a dirty cloth. Police constable Satish Sasane, suspecting foul play, stopped the auto rickshaw and found the newborn child.

Since there was no woman with him, the police questioned Shivsaran and informed a female police officer from the Nirbhaya squad, an initiative launched by the Mumbai police to ensure the safety and security of women. When the female police officer arrived, Shivsaran got scared and confessed that the baby was his own daughter from an illegitimate relationship with his aunt.

During further inquiry, the accused, who had gotten married a month ago, admitted that he had been having an affair with his aunt for the past four years, said a police officer. She had been living with him in Bhandup for four years, had gotten pregnant, and delivered the baby on May 24. Realising people would discover his relationship, Shivsaran told his aunt that he was taking the baby to his friend’s house in Powai, but intended to dump her at an isolated spot, added the officer.

The police tracked down Shivsaran’s aunt and reunited the newborn baby with her mother. Both were admitted to the Rajawadi Hospital, said a police officer. The accused was booked under section 91 (intent to prevent birth or cause death) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, said senior inspector Santosh Ghatekar from the Parksite police station.