CHIKKAMAGALURU: A doctor and two nurses at the government hospital in Koppa, and a woman from Sringeri have been booked by the Koppa police on Tuesday for allegedly threatening an unmarried girl who had come for delivery and selling the newborn for Rs 55,000. The doctor Balakrishna and nurses Reshma and Shobha are accused of selling the girl child to one Prema of Sringeri. After the unwed girl’s mother raised the issue recently with the hospital administrative officer, a complaint was lodged with the Koppa police.
District Health Officer D Umesh told TNIE that the administrative officer was directed to verify the records and since allegations were proved, cases were booked against the doctor and the nurses. The issue was also investigated by the Child Rights and Welfare Committee and the Child Development
Project Officer.
Chikkamagaluru Superintendent of Police M H Akshay told TNIE that an FIR has been registered for kidnap and illegal adoption. “All the four accused are now absconding. We will arrest them in a day or two”, he said.
The 20-year-old unmarried girl, a resident of Theerthahalli in Shivamogga district, was abandoned by her boyfriend after she conceived. The nine-month pregnant girl was brought to the Koppa government hospital in an ambulance for delivery on March 14. That night, she delivered a girl child.
Unwed mom was threatened with cop plaint
Nurse Shobha did not enter the child’s mother’s name in the register. On March 20, nurse Reshma entered the name of an issueless Sringeri woman as the mother, as per the taluk medical officer.The doctor allegedly threatened the unwed mother that a police complaint will be lodged against her for bearing a child out of marriage. The frightened girl then handed over the baby to the woman named by the doctor and was given Rs 5,000 while Rs 50,000 went to the doctor, according to the girl’s mother in her complaint.