Pune:
A married couple was arrested for allegedly abandoning their infant son near a church in Khadaki area of Maharashtra’s Pune city, police said on Friday.
A three to four-month-old boy was found wrapped in a shawl by some morning walkers on Tuesday, following which the police were informed and a case was registered, an official from Khadaki police station said.
While the infant was sent to Sassoon General Hospital, his photo was circulated through messaging applications, and even personnel at Khadaki police station kept it as their display picture on messaging applications, he said.
That was when the baby’s maternal uncle spotted the picture and contacted the accused, who claimed that the infant had died, the official said.
The man then took the couple to Sassoon Hospital, where the lie was exposed and they later admitted to having abandoned their baby, he said.
The father suspected the baby wasn’t his and had told the woman she would have to abandon the infant if she wished to stay with him, the official said.
The accused have been arrested under section 317 (abandonment of child under 12 years) of IPC and further probe is underway, he added.
