A newborn baby girl was rescued from being buried alive on Thursday, just a few steps away from the busy Jubilee Bus Station (JBS) in the heart of Secunderabad. The police said that it was the grandfather and another relative of the infant who were trying to bury her alive, but the attempt was foiled, thanks to an alert auto-rickshaw driver.
Kumar, an auto-rickshaw driver, found two men carying something wrapped in a cloth, under suspicious circumstances. They reached a secluded place near the bus station and one of them started digging a pit.
While the elder man holding the baby in his hands was the grandfather of the child, identified as Tirupati, the one digging the grave was said to be a relative, identified as Rajendra.
They were about to put the bundle in the pit when the driver raised an alarm. Policemen, who are always present around JBS, rushed to the scene and started questioning the duo.
They told the police that they were burying a stillborn child but when the newborn started moving her hands and legs, police detained both the accused and took custody of the infant, who was shifted to government-run Gandhi Hospital.
Speaking to TNM, Additional DCP S Srinivas said, "As of now, the baby is responding to treatment well."
The police said their replies were inconsistent. The accused could not reply as to who told them that the baby was stillborn. They claimed to be from Karimnagar district of Telangana. They even told the police that as they could not board a bus with the 'dead' child, they were burying it before heading back to their native village.
It is suspected that the girl child had some medical complications and the family may not have been able to afford the cost of treatment. However, the police said that they were counselling the family.
The Marredpally police are investigating the matter further. The police have sought legal advice and a case is expected to be registered against the two accused on Friday.
IANS inputs