Newborn’s illegal adoption: Six booked

SIVAGANGA: A 17-year-old boy was booked for sexually assaulting a minor girl, while five others were booked for ‘selling’ the minor girl’s baby on Sunday. According to the police, the minor girl was in a relationship with a 17-year-old boy, who was her classmate. She became pregnant during the course of the relationship but did not tell her family about it.

Recently, the minor girl’s sister was admitted to a private hospital. During one of the hospital visits, the staff asked the family members about the minor girl’s unusually large belly. They said that they had consulted a few doctors in the town about the condition but to no avail. So the private hospital staff conducted a few tests. The test that came back on May 17 stated that the minor girl was pregnant.Two days later, she gave birth to a healthy girl child. “The hospital authorities failed to alert the police and health department officials about the minor girl’s pregnancy as well as about the delivery procedure,” said the police.

The police said that private hospital nurse Selvi had convinced the family members to give up the child for adoption to her friend Baagampriyal, who was childless. “Since the family members of the minor girl did not want the newborn in their family, they decided to give up the baby for adoption in exchange for money,” the police said.

Eventually, the CWC and the police were informed about the incident. The minor and her newborn daughter were rescued and sent to a care home. Meanwhile, the police registered a case against the minor boy, the minor girl’s father, aunt, nurse Selvi, hospital doctor Banumathi (who performed the delivery) and Baagampriyal under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. While the minor boy was taken to an observation home in Madurai, the girl’s father was lodged in a sub jail in Sivaganga. The four others were absconding, the police added.