Maharashtra: Cop nurses abandoned baby, wins hearts

Constable Salma Mahboob Shaikh being honoured by senior officers

A 35-year-old constable from Nanded district went beyond the call of duty when she came across a baby abandoned at a bus depot. A lactating mother herself, she nursed the infant to ensure his health was not compromised. A top officer recently felicitated her for making the police department proud with her action.

Besides Shaikh, the baby is also being looked after by two of her colleagues

Salma Mahboob Shaikh, who is attached to Hingoli Shahar police station, said she was alerted about a two-and-half-month-old boy at an ST stand on January 16. "I rushed the baby to the civic hospital where the staff fed him powdered milk. When I visited the hospital the next day, the doctors said outside milk was not good for such a young child," Shaikh told mid-day.

The policewoman said she still nurses her two-year-old child and thought she could help the baby as a mother. "I told the doctors that I would breastfeed him myself. I took the baby home after taking permission from my senior. After a week, the news spread to other police stations and our DIG Nisar Tamboli rewarded me Rs 10,000," said Shaikh.

Besides Shaikh, the baby is also being cared for by her colleagues Akansha Surekha and Sharda Dhumbre. "I joined the police department in 2013 and it feels great to be of help to citizens. We three policewomen will take care of the child till his parents are found. People should not abandon their kids come what may," she said.

Senior Inspector Pandit Kachave of Hingoli Sahar police said, "We have sent our team to cities, including Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Satara from where a bus had arrived at the time. We are checking the footage of all the CCTVs installed at the bus depot."

The cops have also begun contacting various hospitals to check their records of births.

'10k
Amount Shaikh was rewarded for the good work