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Infant’s body found in Mumbai airport washroom, probe begins
An airport official confirmed that the incident took place in the family washroom located near boarding gates 43 and 44
The body of a newborn baby was found abandoned in a bin at Mumbai airport’s Terminal 2 washroom on Tuesday night, airport officials said on Wednesday, terming it the first incident of its kind in the county.
“Housekeeping staff found the newborn in the bin of the family restroom in the boarding area of the domestic side of T2. The cleaning staff alerted the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and airport officials. The local police were then immediately informed,” an airport official said.
Maneesh Kalwaniya, DCP for Zone 8 in Mumbai, told HT, “The body of the newborn found at T2 was of a full-term male child.”
“A case has been registered under BNS sections 91 and 94. Investigations will reveal further details,” he added.
In the newly implemented Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Section 91 addresses acts done with the intent to prevent a child from being born alive or to cause its death after birth, punishable with imprisonment up to 10 years, while Section 94 deals with concealing a child’s birth by secretly disposing of the body, punishable with imprisonment up to 2 years.
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) spokesperson verified the incident but denied commenting as investigations were underway. An airport official, however, confirmed that the incident took place in the family washroom located near boarding gates 43 and 44.
“A team of Sahar police rushed to the airport premises and took the newborn to the nearest hospital, where doctors confirmed that the baby was dead,” a second official said.
“The body of the newborn was sent for the post-mortem examination to Cooper Hospital in Ville Parle to find out the exact cause of death. We have registered a case against the unidentified parents of the child for disposing of the body,” an official from Sahar police said.
An airline official said rules do not allow pregnant women to travel in the final month of pregnancy.
“Airlines have their own cut-off period for not allowing pregnant travellers to fly. In the initial months, such passengers are required to bring a medical certificate from their obstetrician stating that they are fit to travel and that there are no complications. However, no Indian airline allows women in their ninth month (of pregnancy) to take a flight.”
“If the newborn was found dead in the boarding area of the airport, it could have been a member of staff working there rather than a passenger who abandoned it,” he added.
“We are scanning through the CCTV footage of the airport to find out who disposed of the body and also coordinating with the airlines to get passenger lists to find out the identity of the suspect,” another official from the police station said.
