College student gives birth at home, abandons baby in garbage in Tambaram

CHENNAI: A newborn girl, born to a college student, was found among garbage with her umbilical cord intact, near Tambaram on Tuesday.

Locals found the infant and handed her over to the Selaiyur police. Upon perusing CCTV footage, police zeroed in on the baby's mother and traced her to a college student.

The probe revealed that the student's mother aided the delivery at home, and they disposed of the newborn in a garbage dump. Police are now investigating who impregnated the student.

In the early hours of Tuesday, the cries of the infant after being bitten by ants in the dump caught the attention of residents near Madambakkam Balaji Nagar Main Road.

They swiftly rescued the baby, who was merely a few hours old, and alerted the police, who immediately administered first-aid and moved her to a nearby hospital before transferring her to Chromepet GH.

CCTV footage from six hours prior showed a woman, believed to be around 20 years old, discarding the child with her umbilical cord still intact. Further inquiries identified her as a third-year BTech student at a private college and the daughter of a retired government officer. Shockingly, the student's mother had conducted a home delivery.

The student, found physically weak, is undergoing treatment at a private hospital. After recovery, the baby was handed over to child welfare authorities and remains under medical supervision.

The infant has been transferred to the Chengalpattu District Child Welfare Society. She is under observation at the Chengalpattu Government Medical College Hospital.