Press "Enter" to skip to content

5-month-old foetus found near drain in Coimbatore, police begin probe

Residents of Ramanathapuram in Coimbatore district were in for a shock on Monday morning when they discovered the body of a foetus near the sewer lines. Alarmed, they immediately alerted the local police station. According to the police, the foetus was five months old and appeared to have been delivered just hours earlier.

Speaking to TNM, Sumethra, the sub-inspector probing the case, said, “It was a male foetus. We were informed by the local residents early in the morning. We are probing whether this is a botched abortion. We have sent the foetus for postmortem and have launched an investigation into this. Additionally, we are enquiring with hospitals in the area.”

The police have also registered an FIR under Section 318 of the Indian Penal Code (Concealment of birth by secret disposal of dead body).

Just months earlier, a woman in Chennai found a newborn baby lying in a stormwater drain near her house. In gut-wrenching visuals that emerged on social media, Geetha was seen bending down and reaching deep into the stormwater drain to pull out the baby. The pink-fleshed baby was seen crying, choked by its own umbilical cord tied around its neck. Even as neighbours around her were screaming and ran to fetch water, Geetha, holding the child firmly, unravelled the umbilical cord immediately.

According to the Social Welfare Department of Tamil Nadu, the state’s Cradle Baby Scheme to eradicate female infanticide has saved over 5,000 babies. However, the 2018 NITI Aayog report had said that from the base years of 2012- 2014 to 2013- 2015, Tamil Nadu has seen a dip in sex ration, from 921 to 911 females to 1000 men.

“Children rescued under the Cradle Baby Scheme have been rehabilitated with an alternate family under adoption programmes,” claims the Department.

Source: The News Minute