New Delhi:
The Delhi Police says it has traced a woman called Munni, who is the biological mother of Baby Falak, the battered two-year-old fighting a tough battle for survival at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). There are reports that two other people have also been detained in the case.
The police said Munni had been traced in Rajasthan about a week ago and has been brought today to Delhi, where she is being questioned. The 22-year-old, they said, claims to be the baby's mother. Police say they have learnt from investigations that it was Munni who had brought Falak to the home of a woman called Lakshmi about six months ago. Lakshmi reportedly told the police that Munni had turned up at her door with the child and had then disappeared a few days later.
After they traced her, Munni reportedly told the cops that she was married to a man who forced her into prostitution and so she ran away last year. The police said the woman has two more children.
Her statement is being recorded at a local court in Delhi.
The tragic story of Baby Falak captured the country's imagination after she was brought to AIIMS on January 18 by a 14-year-old girl in a bruised and battered condition. The baby had severe head injuries, fractures and human bite marks all over her. The teenage girl initially claimed to be Falak's mother but later conceded that she was handed over the child by a certain Rajkumar, who is considered to the main suspect in the case and is still at large. The teen, who the police say is herself a victim of abuse, is now at a juvenile home.
Four people have been arrested so far in connection with the case.
Police say Munni could provide vital clues about why and how the baby changed hands, finally landing in this critical condition. The police say they have so far pieced together only her story from September 2011 onwards, when Munni arrived at Lakshmi's home with the baby. Lakshmi, who has four children of her own, gave the baby to a man named Manoj, who in turn passed her on to an acquaintance named Rajkumar who had left his wife and son to elope with the teen who brought Falak to AIIMS. Through Munni, they say, they have been able to trace some more people.
In hospital, the medical condition of Baby Falak, continues to be critical, yet stable. She is back on life support due to an infection in her chest, lung and blood. But the condition of her heart, liver and kidneys hasn't deteriorated. Her new blood culture report is expected today. Doctors have refrained from going forward with any new surgical procedures on her yet.