DNA tests confirmed that two babies were swapped at birth in a hospital in Shimla.
Five months after they were born and mixed up in a hospital in Shimla, two babies have finally been handed over to their biological parents.
The couples whose children were swapped in Kamla Nehru Hospital had decided to amicably settle the case after DNA tests confirmed the doubt of the woman who had given birth to a boy on May 26, but was handed over a girl by the hospital staff. Her son had been handed over to another woman who had given birth to a girl a few minutes later.
DNA tests were conducted on orders of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.
In May, Sheetal, who works at the Indira Gandhi Medical College as staff nurse, was told by another pregnant woman Anjana in the labour room that she had given birth to a boy. But later, she was handed over a girl.
Sheetal later came to know that Anjana had given birth to a boy minutes after her delivery, which led to her suspicion. She lodged a complaint with the hospital, but it dismissed her allegation. Sheetal then filed a petition with the Himachal Pradesh High Court which directed Shimla police to conduct an inquiry.
DNA tests confirmed that Sheetal's son was given to Anjana. Last week, the High Court ordered both families to settle the matter out of court.
The families had decided to exchange babies on Wednesday. Sheetal looked elated on finally getting custody of her son. "I am a nurse myself, this is sheer negligence and conspiracy of the hospital staff, they should be punished for putting me through all this pain," she said.
Anjana, meanwhile, was in tears after handing over the boy. "I have been feeding the boy as my son for past five months, it's tough but I always wanted a girl as we already have a 10 year old son."
Police has arrested a staff nurse and a mid-wife for swapping the babies and will present its investigation report about the conspiracy which was allegedly hatched by the woman and her husband who had given birth to the baby girl.
BD Negi, Additional Superintendent of Police, Shimla, said, "We have arrested two people in connection with the swapping of babies, based on the investigation we will make more arrests in the case to bring out the real culprits who hatched the conspiracy."