Newborn abandoned in hotel, but dad promises to return

BHOPAL - A seven-day-old girl was found abandoned in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district, along with a handwritten note that said she would be taken back after two years, police said Monday.

The note from the father read: “Muje paida nahin karna chahiye jab main paal nahi sakta. Lekin main two years ke baad wapas aoonga.” (I should not have sired the baby because I cannot rear her. But I will return after two years).

Police said the infant was found wrapped in a towel at Hotel Sudershan in Dewas district, about 160 km from here, by housekeeping staff on April 29. Hotel employees told the police that two youths had visited the hotel on that same day and had inquired about a room. One of them, who introduced himself as Abhishek Verma, said they were from Bhopal and had come for an interview at the Tata Export Company.

“They probably brought the baby in a bag they were carrying. They checked out of the hotel on April 30 at around 6 a.m., leaving the newborn behind,” Additional Superintendent of Police Tilak Singh told IANS over the phone.

A feeding bottle and a two page letter were found with the baby. The note mentioned that the girl’s name was Vaishnavi Joshi and that she had not been vaccinated against any disease.

In the note, the father also pleaded not to change the infant’s name, saying it might prevent him from tracing her when he returned. The infant was immediately shifted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Vatsal Ashram, a local NGO that runs an orphanage in Dewas, has expressed its desire to adopt Vaishnavi.