Newborn left at Kochi roadside food stall: Probe finds man who alerted police helped abandon infant

Kochi: The mystery surrounding the abandonment of a newborn baby boy at a roadside food stall in Kochi's Kundannoor has taken a dramatic turn, with the Maradu police revealing that the young man who alerted authorities about the supposedly abandoned infant was not a chance passerby, but had accompanied the baby's mother and helped her abandon the newborn at the spot.

According to the police, the development emerged during questioning after the infant, just a day old, was found wrapped in cloth on an iron bench outside a closed street stall around 1 am on Sunday.

The caller, identified as Midhun, a native of Puthykavu, had initially told both the police and media that he accidentally discovered the abandoned child while stopping for tea on his way home. “I had gone to Ernakulam just to spend some time and wander around. On my way back, there's usually a tea shop open in that area. I decided to stop there for a cup of tea, but by the time I reached, they had already closed. As I was turning back, I heard a sound. I followed it and found a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and placed there," he had told reporters.

Describing the tense moments before police arrived, Midhun said there was nobody else around. “It was completely deserted and pitch dark. There were several stray dogs roaming nearby, and the baby was surrounded by swarms of mosquitoes. I stayed beside the baby to protect it. I kept clapping my hands for a long time to keep the dogs away and tried my best to calm the baby, but it wouldn't stop crying. I was terrified. My hands and legs were literally shaking,” he told the media.

Police officers who reached the spot shifted the infant to a private hospital in Maradu. The baby was later transferred to the government’s Ammathottil anonymous child care facility, where it remains under care.

However, the police now say Midhun's account was only partially true. According to a senior police officer, Midhun had accompanied the baby's mother, who had brought the infant to the location. “He didn't bring the baby. The woman herself brought it, and he only accompanied her. She had told him it was someone else's child and suggested they leave the baby at the Ammathottil, which is why he went along. It was only after they reached there that he came to know the truth,” the officer said.

The police said the 32-year-old woman, a native of Idukki and mother of a 13-year-old child, had been living with her partner in a rented house at Kundannoor. She reportedly delivered the baby alone at the house on Saturday while her partner was away.

The police said the woman is suffering from stage-four cancer and believed she was incapable of caring for the newborn, forcing her to abandon the infant. The woman and Midhun had worked together at a supermarket earlier and were friends. So she sought his help to abandon the newborn.

They made three attempts to leave the baby in the electronic cradle at the Ammathottil, but abandoned the plan each time because people were present nearby. They then went to the roadside food stall, where the woman placed the baby on the bench before leaving. She instructed Midhun to remain at the spot, call the police, and stay with the infant until officers arrived. Fearing action, Midhun cooked up the whole story that he spotted the child accidentally. “His statements were inconsistent, and when we questioned him again, he confessed to what exactly happened. We took the woman's initial statements, too,” police sources said.

The police said neither the woman nor Midhun had been arrested. “Considering the humanitarian circumstances, and the fact that he remained there to safeguard the child until the police arrived, we have not arrested him yet. Both of them will instead be served notices to appear for further questioning,” a police officer said.

The woman is currently undergoing treatment at Ernakulam General Hospital. The police said they are continuing to verify the accuracy of the statements she has given regarding her medical condition, personal circumstances, and the sequence of events.