Six-month-old female foetus found in Bhangel

According to police officers, on Wednesday evening a passerby called the police helpline (112) informing them about a foetus lying in an empty plot in Bhangel following which a team was rushed to the spot

A six-month-old female foetus was found in an empty plot in Bhangel Wednesday evening. According to the police, a passerby spotted the foetus and informed them following which a criminal case has been registered at the Phase 2 police station.

The police said they are working on identifying the parents of the foetus. So far, there aren’t any leads, however, locals are being questioned to find out if anyone saw anything suspicious in the area, they added. (PTI file photo. Representative image)

According to police officers, on Wednesday evening a passerby called the police helpline (112) informing them about a foetus lying in an empty plot in Bhangel following which a team was rushed to the spot. “The female foetus was sent for DNA sampling. Meanwhile, a case has also been registered at the Phase 2 police station under section 318 (concealment of the birth of an identified newborn child) of the Indian Penal Code,” said deputy commissioner of police, zone 2, Harish Chander.

The police said they are working on identifying the parents of the foetus. So far, there aren’t any leads, however, locals are being questioned to find out if anyone saw anything suspicious in the area, they added.

Experts feel that such cases may be hiding a more serious problem in Gautam Budh Nagar.

“The abandonment of a female foetus may suggest that a sex determination centre might be operating in the district. The focus of the authorities should be on identifying such establishments if they are running in the district. There is also a possibility of some negligence on the behalf of primary health service centres or those responsible for prenatal care of pregnant women. If these issues are persistent here then they need to be addressed,” said Satya Prakash, programme manager, FXB India Suraksha, the NGO that manages the district childline.

When contacted, a senior health department official denied any knowledge about the incident.

On May 17, the body of a newborn baby boy, who was just a few days old, was found floating in Barola drain.