Woman doc who lost job to Covid abandons child, tries to kill self

Woman doc who lost job to Covid abandons child, tries to kill self

Both Under Treatment At Hospital

Subburaj.A@timesgroup.com

Tirupur:27.12.2020

The Cheyur police have booked a case against a Bengaluru-based doctor, who had abandoned her five-yearold daughter at a bus stop here on Friday.

The 35-year-old woman, an ENT specialist, used to run a clinic in Bengaluru, sub-inspector Anbarasan said. “She had to close the clinic due to the pandemic and was facing financial strain. She tried to find work abroad but in vain. She was separated from her husband and stayed with her father, a retired central government employee, for some time. As the financial stress took a toll on her mind, she decided to leave for Madurai with her daughter,” the officer told TOI.

She reached Thandukkaranpalayam near Cheyur in a bus on Friday morning to catch a bus to Madurai. “Meanwhile, her daughter developed a fever and she gave the girl some medicine. But the girl suffered a seizure and became unconscious. The woman then decided to abandon her daughter and kill herself,” said Anbarasan.

Villagers who found the unconscious girl at the bus stop informed police. The girl was rushed to the Avinashi Government Hospital and later to the Tirupur Government Hospital. While police were trying to find the whereabouts of the girl, the woman returned to the bus stop looking for her daughter at night.

“She told cops that she had abandoned her daughter there and had consumed rat poison. We took her to the Tirupur Government Hospital and later to the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH),” the officer said. “The girl is also kept under observation at CMCH. Doctors told us that she became unconscious due to drug overdose. She is still in the ICU.”

The woman had bought rat poison from a shopping mall at Chikkamagaluru, Tirupur superintendent of police Disha Mittal said. “We have alerted the Chikkamagaluru police. We will conduct inquiry after the woman is out of danger,” he said.

Police have registered a case against the woman under Section 75 (Punishment for cruelty to child) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000.

The girl is kept under observation at CMCH. Doctors said she became unconscious due to drug overdose. She is still in the ICU