Jajpur: Probe into the alleged rape of a minor and subsequent abortion took a new turn after a newborn baby girl was rescued near the residence of the 70-year-old accused in Odisha’s Jajpur district.
As per information, the infant was found lying abandoned along a road near the house of the accused in Byasanagar area on Monday night. The baby was rescued with the help of police and taken to a hospital at Jajpur Road for treatment.
Doctors at the hospital said the infant is around one week old and her health condition is stable now.
The rescue of the infant came two days after it was alleged that a 16-year-old girl underwent a forced abortion at a local nursing home. Police had arrested two persons, including the rape accused and the managing director of the nursing home.
It was alleged that Padmanabha Satapathy (70) had sexually assaulted the minor multiple times while she worked at his house as a domestic help. Nursing home MD Manoj Kumar Nayak was accused of having conspired to cover up the pregnancy and delivery. Both were produced before the court on Monday evening following a complaint lodged by the survivor’s father.
Police and hospital authorities are now examining whether the rescued newborn is connected to the ongoing case, as part of their broader investigation into the incident.
Meanwhile, the health condition of the rescued infant was described as stable by doctors at the Jajpur hospital.
The baby is believed to have been born within the past week and appears to be premature. She was in a critical state due to severe hypothermia when brought to the hospital and now her condition is stable. The rescued infant will be handed over to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) later, sources said.
