K'taka couple in illicit relationship abandons newborn in parked auto; man jailed, woman sent to rehab

Bengaluru, May 12 (IANS) Bengaluru police have solved the case involving the abandonment of a 15-day-old baby girl in a parked autorickshaw and arrested a couple involved in an illicit relationship. The man has been sent to jail, while the woman has been placed in a rehabilitation centre as she is an alcoholic.

The incident occurred on April 24, when the newborn was found abandoned in a parked autorickshaw near the ATTC Quarters in Kengeri within the Byatarayanapura police station limits.

The vehicle was parked by the roadside, and local residents who noticed the child immediately alerted the police.

Police arrived at the scene along with a Child Welfare Officer and rescued the baby.

During the investigation, officers collected and reviewed CCTV footage from the surrounding area. The footage revealed a couple walking up to the autorickshaw, placing the baby on the back seat, and walking away.

Further investigation revealed that the couple had boarded a state-run RTC bus to Madikeri. A police team tracked them down in Virajpet town.

The man was identified as 43-year-old P. Appanna, a coffee estate owner, who was subsequently arrested. His paramour, a 30-year-old woman, was also taken into custody.

During questioning, the couple confessed to having an illicit relationship.

Appanna is a married man with three children, while the woman is a widow with one child. The abandoned baby girl was born from their affair and had a cleft lip.

They admitted to the police that neither of them wanted to raise the child. As part of their plan, they travelled from Virajpet to Bengaluru, got down near the Kengeri Satellite Bus Stop, and abandoned the baby in a parked autorickshaw before fleeing.

Appanna has been remanded to judicial custody, while the woman, found to be addicted to alcohol, has been sent to a rehabilitation centre after receiving a warning.

The newborn has been shifted to Vani Vilas Hospital and is currently under the care of the Child Welfare Committee.

--IANS

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