HYDERABAD: Caught in the middle of the alleged baby-selling racket busted by Hyderabad police, the fate of a nearly two-month-old infant now hangs in balance. As per protocol, the boy has been temporarily shifted to the govt-run Sishu Vihar in Ameerpet. But what his future holds, is tough to guess just yet.The city couple who was given the infant on June 5 by Universal Srushti Fertility Centre in Secunderabad run by prime accused Dr Namratha – under the false pretext of the kid being their biological son – has refused to take him back.
And while the child welfare committee (CWC) rules allow for the biological parents to stake claim to the child till up to two months from the day he/she is taken to the shelter home, even that appears unlikely as the parents are in Chanchalguda jail.
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Clinic paid Rs 90k to biological parents for their newbornThey were among the eight arrested by Gopalapuram police on July 27 for various charges including cheating and forgery. Initial investigation reveals that the biological parents, originally from Assam and settled in Hyderabad, were paid Rs 90,000 by the fertility clinic in exchange for their newborn. The baby was handed over to the Hyderabad couple — complainants in the case — two days later. They were told the child was born through surrogacy and charged around Rs 35 lakh for it.But after a DNA test rubbished the clinic’s claim, the couple filed a police complaint and have since refused possession of the child.“The couple feels that they have been deceived. They do not want the child since he is not biologically theirs,” said a senior official from the Telangana health, family and welfare dept. He added: “Moreover, the facial features of the child are distinctly different from them as the child was born to a couple from another region.” Repeated attempts to reach the complainants for a comment failed.Officials at Sishu Vihar, meanwhile, said that the child will remain there until the police inquiry is completed. This is keeping with the Central Adoption Resource Authority guidelines, which govern the process of adoption in India. “Once the inquiry is done, the CWC will issue public notification asking biological parents or relatives to come forward to claim the child. This will be in force for two months,” said an official from the adoption cell of the WCD. They will also have to produce valid documents and meet eligibility criteria, such as a stable home environment, to establish their claim.“But if no one comes forward during this period, the child will be declared legally free for adoption under the Juvenile Justice Act. At that point, the child will become eligible for adoption by prospective parents, following CARA’s official guidelines,” the official added.
