New Delhi:
Baby Falak, the two-year-old who was brought to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) two weeks ago with head injuries, fractures and human bite marks all over, has had brain surgery today. Doctors say she is critically ill, there is the likelihood of post-operative complications and her chances of survival have worsened.
The Delhi Police, trying to piece together the tale of horror that led to the infant being battered to an inch of her life, have said she is a kidnap victim as is the minor girl who brought her to hospital on January 18. This evening the police released a photograph of Rajkumar, the man who allegedly handed over Falak to the teen and who the police has been looking for in this case. The 15-year-old girl has said Rajkumar was her boyfriend and had abandoned her recently.
The police also says it is close to identifying Falak's biological mother, with crucial leads being provided today by a woman identified so far only as Lakshmi, who is believed to given the baby to Rajkumar. They say they have traced events back to about six months ago, when a woman had arrived at Lakshmi's home with the infant.
In hospital, Neurosurgeon Dr Deepak Aggarwal performed what he described as a minor brain surgery on Falak today. Fluid that had collected in her brain and was causing pressure has been removed. Dr Aggarwal said the fluid had been sent for tests and there could be infection. Falak has already had two surgeries before this one in the last fortnight.
The baby also has a chest infection, which forced doctors to put her back on ventilator support on Sunday night. She had been taken off the ventilator on Friday and had been breathing on her own, doctors said.
This is what the police say they know of Falak's story so far. Baby Falak, named for the sky by hospital staff looking after her, was brought to AIIMS on January 18 by the teenaged girl who had at the time reportedly claimed to be her mother. The child had multiple fractures in her arms and severe head injuries possibly caused by being thrown against a wall, doctors said. She also had human bite marks all over her body.
The 15-year-old girl who brought Baby Falak to the hospital had allegedly told the doctors the baby's injuries were the result of a fall from her bed. The doctors said they called the police then as the teen's story did not match with the injuries seen on the child's body. The baby has been in the intensive care unit of the hospital since, battling valiantly against all odds.
The police in September last, Falak was brought to Lakshmi's home by a woman named Munni, who asked her for shelter for the baby and herself, saying they had been abandoned by her husband. After 20 days of staying with Lakshmi, Munni disappeared, the police say. Lakshmi, who is not well off and has four children of her own to bring up, then allegedly handed Falak to Rajkumar, who allegedly offered to bring her up.
Police say Rajkumar is allegedly married and lived in Delhi's Dwarka in a rented apartment with his wife. He allegedly took the baby home, but after a couple of months his wife said she could not keep the child, the police says. It is then that Rajkumar took the baby to the minor girl, they say.
While the teen says Rajkumar abandoned her to go visit his family in Mumbai, the Delhi Police refuse to accept yet that he abandoned her, saying Rajkumar had reportedly left for Mumbai saying he would be back in some time. The police says the teen may have vented her anger about being deserted on the infant, though this has not been confirmed. A police team sent to Mumbai is yet to locate Rajkumar. A police team is also in Bihar to check on Lakshmi's antecedents.
The teenager who brought Falak to hospital has been placed in a juvenile home and has been interviewed at length by members of the Child Welfare Committee. Medical tests to determine her condition will be reported tomorrow. Her father will also be questioned by the police today, as the girl has alleged that she left her home because he ill-treated her. She had been reported missing about a year ago, police said.
Baby Falak's story has struck at the very heart of the nation, with offers of help pouring in from across India and abroad. But the authorities at the AIIMS Trauma Centre insist that as long as the baby is in their care they will bear all the expenses.