Disfigured foetus found in dustbin at Delhi’s RML hospital, foul play suspected

A 20-week-old foetus was found in a dustbin outside a toilet at central Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital on Sunday morning. The police are going through the hospital CCTV footage to identify the mother.

“Around 6am, one of the women guards found the discarded foetus in the washroom on the first floor of the ECS (Emergency and Critical Care) building. She immediately informed the supervisor and a medico-legal case was registered,” a hospital personnel, on condition of anonymity, said.

The foetus was found wrapped in a piece of cloth and was immediately taken to the hospital mortuary. “It could have been a spontaneous abortion while the mother was using the toilet. However, the foetus was found in a disfigured state, suggesting foul play,” a hospital staff member said.

The autopsy is likely to happen on Tuesday. “The hospital is just waiting for the necessary permission from the police for the autopsy to be conducted,” the staff member said.

A foetus is considered viable and has a chance of survival after 24 to 28 weeks.

A foetus removed from the mother’s womb on or before 20 weeks of gestation is considered an “abortus”.

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act allows abortion up to 20 weeks and the draft amendment bill seeks to extend this to 24 weeks.

Deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi) Madhur Verma said the police are trying to trace the child’s mother. “Prima facie, it looks like a case of premature delivery or abortion. We have questioned some of the staff members who might have seen the person who left the foetus there. A case has been registered under Section 318 of the IPC (concealment of birth by secret disposal of body) at the North Avenue police station,” Verma said.

First Published: Jul 31, 2018 09:11 IST