Dead foetus found near Memnagar health centre in Ahmedabad

The Ghatlodia Police Station has registered a case after the body of a foetus was found abandoned near an urban health centre in the Memnagar area of Ahmedabad on March 10.

The police suspect that an unidentified person intentionally concealed or attempted to conceal the birth of a foetus by secretly disposing of it near the premises of the Urban Primary Health Centre located opposite the Andhakanya School in Memnagar.

The complaint was lodged by Ravibhai Kanjibhai Vala, a police inspector attached to the investigation squad at Ghatlodia Police Station. Police said they received information through the Gujarat Police Emergency Response Support System 112 around 9.58 am regarding an unclaimed body lying near garbage bins outside the health centre.

Following the alert, a police team rushed to the spot and discovered the body of a newborn foetus lying near the boundary wall of the Andhakanya hostel adjacent to the health centre. The body was reportedly found without clothes and appeared to be underdeveloped.

Preliminary inquiries revealed that the discovery was first noticed by sanitation workers who had arrived to collect waste from the municipal garbage bins. One of the informants, Sendhabhai Bhikhabhai Desai, 29, a resident of Thaltej, told police that a sanitation worker employed on a municipal waste collection contract had noticed the foetus while approaching the bins.

Police officials said an inquest panchnama was conducted at the spot in the presence of witnesses, following which the body was sent for post-mortem examination at Sola Civil Hospital.

According to the preliminary medical assessment, the foetus is believed to be that of a male child estimated to be around four to five months old.

Police said the post-mortem examination and forensic procedures, including the collection of DNA samples, are being carried out to determine the exact cause of death and to help identify the mother.

Based on the complaint, a case has been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 relating to concealment of birth by secret disposal of a body. Investigators are examining nearby CCTV footage and questioning local residents in an attempt to identify the person responsible for abandoning the foetus.