Second abandoned infant found in Gurgaon in a week

Gurgaon, April 18 (IANS) A new-born baby was found abandoned in Dundahera on the Gurgaon-Delhi border Wednesday, the second such case in less than a week, police said.

The four-five days old baby girl was heard crying in a garbage dump in Ram Chowk by some autorickshaw drivers who then informed the police. "She might have been dropped there during the early hours of Wednesday," said a police officer.

The infant has been admitted to the neo-natal intensive care unit of the Civil Hospital here.

Principal Medical Officer (PMO) Dr. Asruddin told IANS: "The baby seems to be premature. She is under weight (1.2 kg) and has some infection in the lungs. The baby also has some injuries on her body and has been kept in the neo-natal intensive care unit."

Though the hospital authorities are taking care of the baby, there are chances of respiratory infection, which is most common in new-born cases, said a doctor.

Asruddin said: "For shifting her to a children's home at Panchkula, we need to complete some paper work. And in this process, various departments are involved."

This the second such case in a week. Another baby was found abandoned last Thursday under a tree in the Civil Hospital premises. The 45-day-old baby girl is also admitted in the same ward as the one found in Dundahera. Police have failed to find the parents of the baby who abandoned her.

Several childless couples are keen to adopt the one-and-half-month-old baby.

"Many couples are approaching the hospital authorities for adoption but because of stringent rules, the baby cannot be handed over to anyone so easily," said Asruddin.