Woman claims to be mother of infant boy

JAGATSINGHPUR: Blood samples of Mamina Bhoi, who claimed to be the mother of a rescued infant, and her husband Brajakishore of Gopinathpur village were collected for DNA examination.
Mamina had approached the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) claiming to be the mother of the infant boy, who was rescued from a private nursing home here a week back.She informed the police that she already had three children and as the couple could not look after a fourth one, they had decided to give their 15-day-old boy to a relative, who works in a private clinic. 

District Child Protection Officer Kanhu Chanran Rout said Mamina and her husband could not provide any proof like birth certificate of the baby boy or his registration number in the local anganwadi centre. Her claim is being probed, he said.Two infants, the baby boy and a month-old girl, were kept in the private nursing home here allegedly for sale. Receiving information about a child trafficking racket being run from the nursing home, police and CWC officials rescued the children last week. 

During interrogation, a doctor in the clinic informed that mothers of the children were poor and had left them in the clinic for rehabilitation. Suspecting foul play, the officials rescued the infants.The rescued children were shifted to the local Sishu Ashram and the District Child Care  Protection Unit published an advertisement seeking claim on the infants within 30 days. After the incident, the nursing home was sealed but its owner, Dr Paramananda Acharya, is yet to be arrested. 

Acharya did not appear before the Jagatsinghpur police, who had called him for recording his statement on Wednesday. Police said the doctor, against whom a complaint was filed by the CWC chairperson Biswesari Mohanty, is absconding and since he did not turn up, the next legal course would be taken against him.