DIBRUGARH, Oct 18 - In one of the most successful operations, Childline volunteers of Tinsukia and Dibrugarh district tracked down alleged traffickers and rescued a newborn girl child from a village here in the district on Wednesday.
The baby was reportedly sold in front of LGB Civil Hospital, Tinsukia. On October 15 at around 4:30 pm, Childline, Tinsukia received a call about a newborn being trafficked in front of the hospital. On receipt of the information, Childline member immediately contacted Superintendent of Civil Hospital over phone and went to the hospital to check the list of patients who were discharged that day.
After questioning the nurses of the hospital and cross-checking the records, the Childline team discovered that one post delivery patient had absconded from the hospital on that particular day and interestingly the hospital authorities were unaware and, therefore, had not lodged any FIR.
The details including the contact number given by the patient was also found out. Childline members collected a few details of the patient and from those details, the team got to know that the patient was referred to the Civil Hospital from Hapjan Block PHC on October 11 and the woman had delivered a girl child the following day.
The Childline team rushed to Hapjan Block PHC on Wednesday for further investigation of the case where it was detected that the address provided by the patient in both the hospitals is in an area near Makum. A photograph of the patient�s husband, which was clicked by a nurse at the time of admission of the patient in Hapjan Block PHC was also recovered. Based on the gathered information, the Childline team contacted the SP and the ASP of Tinsukia and as directed by them Makum police and Childline volunteers located the address and the name of the person who was mentioned as the husband of the woman who had delivered.
On questioning the person, it was learnt that the man was not actually the husband of the woman. The man was reportedly asked by the mother of the child and others to present himself as husband. The newborn girl child was given away to a relative of the landlord where this man resides. The said relative lives in Dibrugarh district and the newborn was brought here on October 15 itself.
The relative was located by the Childline volunteers who immediately directed to bring over the child to Tinsukia. The child was immediately taken to the LGB Civil Hospital Tinsukia for check up. On examination, she was found to be having some medical problem and was, therefore, admitted to the hospital for necessary treatment.
As informed, the Childline office on Thursday handed over the case to the Child Welfare Committee, Tinsukia. Now, what is to be seen is whether LGB Civil Hospital, Tinsukia or the Tinsukia police will pursue the matter by lodging a police case.
