Baby girl found abandoned in sugarcane field, mother’s whereabouts unknown

KATHMANDU: The infant, who was discovered abandoned in Kanchanpur’s Belauri on Friday morning, has been turned over to her relatives, while her mother remains at large.

Sharmila Chaudhary of the district’s Punarwas Municipality-2 Amaraiya tied her 14-month-old daughter to a sugarcane field and fled.

Locals in Belauri Municipality-7 saw the child tied up in a sugarcane field near Syali River on Friday morning and freed him. A scarf was placed around the infant girl’s wrists and feet after she was discovered sobbing in the sugarcane fields by the roadside.

The police did a health check on the child at the Sripur Primary Health Center and searched for his parents after neighbors rescued him and turned him over to them. At the moment, the child’s mother’s relatives notified the police. According to police inspector Gauri Prasad Jaisi of the Belauri local police station, the infant was turned over to Sharmila’s mother Rampati Chaudhury.

Belauri Municipal Chief Potilal Chaudhary and Punarwas Municipality Deputy Chief Bhulia Kumari Rana, together with people’s representatives, coordinators of both municipalities’ Women’s Development Branch and local staff, journalists, and other police, handed over the child to her relatives.

Sharmila was last seen leaving the residence with the baby on Thursday evening. She departed there, according to family members, to go to her husband’s house. Her parents, though, are still unaware of the child’s father.

Sharmila recently gave birth to a child at Seti State Hospital Dhangadhi. Locals claimed that Sharmila attempted to abandon the infant at the time, but with the assistance of the police, they were able to bring him home.

Sharmila was phoned shortly after the baby was found. She said that she was in Dadeldhura. However, after talking about the baby, she switched off her mobile phone, said Dammar Bahadur Thapa, Ward Chair of Purnawas Municipality Ward No. 2.