Monday, November 09, 2009

Nanny sedates 7-mth-old baby, rents out to beggars

Ref: http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Archive/skins/pastissues2/navigator.asp?AW=1257749788265

Bangalore: As soon as mom and dad had kissed their little one goodbye, the nanny would feed him and get him ready for the day — not one full of fun and frolick, of toys, milk and a warm bed — but tattered clothes, oral sedatives and the filth and pollution of Bangalore’s roads.
In a real life instance, that’s sure to send chills down the spine of any parent, a seven-month-old baby of a working couple, who relied on their ayah — recruited from an employment agency, and hence thought to be above board — was used for beggary. The unscrupulous nanny would pack off the tiny tot with beggars for Rs 100 a day, while she settled down to a quiet afternoon in front of the television. The economics of beggary is such that having a pallid, sick looking, tiny child in your arms fetches more than empty hands, on the busy, dusty streets of urban India.
The nanny got caught only when the child’s mother — who works for an MNC — decided to wind up early at work one day. When she arrived home, the nanny was sitting in front of the television but the baby was missing. Taken aback she quizzed the nanny who was forced to confess to the horrified mother that her baby was out on work too. That she had been sending him for beggary for the past three weeks.
Things then began to fall in place. The couple realized why their baby was drowsy and inactive in the evenings — he had been sedated every day. Surprisingly, the couple have so far not lodged a police complaint. “The parents want to remain anonymous and don’t want to even talk about it,” sources said. They are said to be planning to move abroad. It isn’t clear whether this incident has forced them to take this step or they had already made plans to move out. Little wonder they want to put the nightmare behind them.
According to officials in the State Children Commission, a suo motu(Preetam: This is we can contact of help ) case would be filed against the nanny. As per information received by the Commission, the woman had come through an agency.
“We are trying to track the family and get more details about the crime and the nanny. As beggary is a punishable offence, stringent action will be taken against the culprit involved in the case, under JJ Act Sec 22, and under IPC Sec 353. The Commission will meet on Friday to decide on the next course of action,” sources added.

Baby At Risk

7-month-old infant was sent with beggars for Rs 100 a day
Boy sedated through the week, parents found him drowsy in evenings
Nanny caught when mother returned home early one day