She had abandoned her baby post job loss; after reuniting mother and child, Hingoli police give her Rs 1 lakh, get her a job and grocery for a year
Constable Salma Shaikh with the child who she had been breastfeeding after he was abandoned
Amid the gloom brought in by the pandemic, the Hingoli police shone brightly on Mother’s Day by helping a woman who had abandoned her two-month-old baby boy due to poor financial conditions. A lactating policewoman had rescued the child and even nursed him, winning hearts. Days after reuniting the mother and the child, the cops on Sunday gave her Rs 1 lakh from the police welfare fund, got her a job and promised her groceries for the next 12 months.
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The department had honoured Shaikh for rescuing and nursing the baby boy
The police said the 50-year-old woman, a widow, delivered the child following an affair but could not take care of her son after she lost her job due to the Covid-19 crisis. She left her baby at a bus stop on January 16.
Constable Salma Mahboob Shaikh, attached to Hingoli Shahar police station, had rescued the child. After doctors said the baby was unable to take powdered milk, Shaikh, a mother herself, began breastfeeding him. She had been honoured by the department for showing the humane side of the police. mid-day had reported the heart-warming story on January 25.
Hingoli SP Rakesh Kalasagar said the child’s mother is from Pune and used to work as a daily labourer. “She lost her job because of Covid-19 related restrictions. After we tracked her down, she initially did not accept that the child was hers. Later, she told us that she is a widow and had an affair,” said the officer. The woman has three daughters, two of whom are married. One of the daughters is in Pune, said the police.
Kalasagar said they were determined to reunite the child with his mother, but she said she could not raise him because of dire straits. “We decided to give her Rs 1 lakh from the police welfare fund. We have got her a job in Hingoli district and will bear her food cost for one year. We have urged her not to abandon the child. With the support, the mother is happy that she is with her kid,” he said.
The SP said their team will be in touch with the woman and help her if she needs anything.
Emotional farewell
Officers said constable Shaikh, who had been nursing the baby, had developed a bond with him and was edgy when she learnt that the mother had been traced. “Shaikh initially did not agree to hand over the child to his mother, but we convinced her that it was the right thing,” said Kalasagar.
Shaikh could barely hide her maternal instincts as she spoke to mid-day. “I have so many memories with him. I regularly visit his mother and him. I am happy that the child is reunited with his mother but I miss him so much.”
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