Sakleshpur Rural Police arrested five persons on the charge of unauthorised handover of a newborn male baby.
The arrested persons are Girija, mother of the baby; Sumithra, an anganwadi worker, Usha of Hassan who took the baby; and Shrikanth and Subramanya, who allegedly played a part in the incident.
Girija gave birth to a baby in the government hospital at Hettur in Sakleshpur on November 15, 2023. This was her third child. She has a 15-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter. On November 16, with the help of Sumithra, she handed over the baby to Usha, who has no children.
The police have not found any financial transaction between the two. During questioning, Girija told the police that she decided to hand over the baby to Usha as she is unable to take care of the newborn given her financial condition.
The District Child Protection Unit came to know about this incident. They informed the police.
Sakleshpur police handed over the baby to the Child Welfare Committee. The baby is at a child home in Hassan.