Newborn Girl Abandoned in Navi Mumbai with Heartbreaking Note; Police Launch Hunt for Parents

Navi Mumbai: A newborn girl was discovered abandoned in a plastic basket outside an orphanage in Panvel’s Takka Colony on Saturday morning, prompting a swift police investigation that led to the identification of her parents by Sunday. The father, 23-year-old Aman Kondkar, an unemployed engineer from Bhiwandi, admitted to being in a relationship with a 20-year-old woman from Mumbra, a distant relative. 

The infant, just two days old, was left on a pavement near Swapnalay Girls’ Orphanage with a note expressing regret for the abandonment. According to assistant commissioner of police (crime) Ajay Landge, the couple had claimed to be married at the private hospital in Mumbra where the baby was born, despite opposition from their families to their relationship.

Police tracked the couple using CCTV footage showing a burkha-clad woman placing the basket on the pavement and the registration number of the car they used. Senior inspector Nitin Thakare of Panvel police station said the mother expressed remorse and planned to retrieve the child the following day. The infant is now under the care of a charitable organization, with the state child welfare committee to decide on custody.

The couple faces charges for child abandonment and has been issued a notice to cooperate with the ongoing investigation, though no arrests have been made. Dr. Priyanka Mahajan, a psychiatrist at Masina Hospital, noted that societal stigma and psychological pressure often push young mothers to abandon children born out of wedlock, despite the natural bond they feel, leading to guilt and remorse. The police are still verifying whether the couple is legally married.