Mumbai: Two Women Booked for Illegal Adoption of HIV-Positive Newborn; Police Probe Ongoing | Representational Image
Mumbai: In a shocking revelation, Mumbai Police has exposed an illegal adoption case involving an HIV-positive newborn and has registered a case against two women.
According to the police, both women fraudulently misled the administration of KEM Hospital in Parel to facilitate the unlawful adoption of the baby. The case came to light when the child’s health deteriorated, and she underwent an appendix surgery at Wadia Hospital, where the truth was uncovered.
According to the police, the case was initially registered at Manpada Police Station in Thane on Saturday before being transferred to Bhoiwada Police Station for further investigation. While the main accused is currently being traced, the second woman has been issued a notice.
Investigations reveal that the main accused and her husband were facing financial difficulties. Last year, she became pregnant but, due to her husband’s alcoholism and their unstable financial condition, she did not want to keep the baby. She initially sought an abortion, but during this time, she came into contact with the second woman, who expressed her willingness to adopt the child.
To facilitate the illegal adoption, the main accused used the second woman’s Aadhaar card to get admitted to KEM Hospital. On October 11, 2024, she gave birth to a baby girl and, after being discharged, handed the newborn over to the second woman.
Months later, when the baby’s health deteriorated, she was admitted to Wadia Hospital on January 15, 2025. After the appendix surgery, doctors discovered that the child was HIV-positive and advised further medical tests. At this point, the adoptive mother confessed that the child was not biologically hers and had been adopted illegally.
Following this revelation, the Thane Women and Child Development Department registered a case under Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 – Sections 80 and 81, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) – Sections 318(1), 318(4), and 3(5). The case has since been transferred to Bhoiwada Police Station in Mumbai, and further investigations are underway.
