The ‘story’ of a woman handing over a baby to a young man from Mysuru at Raichur bus stand has taken a new turn with the Mysuru police booking cases against both the man and the woman.
About a fortnight ago, the young man Raghu had arrived in Mysuru bus stand with a seven-month-old baby boy, claiming that an unidentified woman had handed over the toddler to him at Raichur bus stand asking him to look after the baby till she returned from the toilet.
Raghu is from H.D. Kote in Mysuru district.
Further, he claimed that he brought the baby to Mysuru with him when the woman did not return even after three hours.
When the matter was reported to Lashkar police station, the baby was produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) of Mysuru district and sent to the government-recognised adoption centre in Mandya.
Some days later, a woman from Yadgir arrived in Mysuru and claimed to be the mother of the baby. Her husband, reported a painter, appeared before the CWC in Mysuru and sought custody of the baby.
While the CWC in Mysuru sought to transfer the case to CWC in Yadgir, inquiries by the Mysuru police revealed that the woman who reportedly handed over the baby in Raichur bus stand, and Raghu were in a relationship. The woman had differences with her husband.
The police have booked a case under Section 317 of the Indian Penal Code against the woman for abandoning the child and a case against Raghu under Section 120B of the IPC. “Both have been released on bail,” said a police officer.
The baby is in the custody of the adoption agency in Mandya.
CWC officials in Mysuru said the woman claiming to be the baby’s mother has not been allowed to meet the child. The case has been transferred to CWC Yadgir to investigate the matter before the child can be handed over to its parents. The parents will have to convince the CWC that they will remain together and protect the interests of the baby, sources added.
