When women personnel of the Karelibaug police station in Vadodara rescued an abandoned newborn baby from outside the Khaswadi crematorium, little did they expect a twist in the tale. Right before the police arrived at SSG Hospital in the city with the baby, the child's parents—who were to be married Sunday—had already sought admission at the hospital for treatment. As pieces of the puzzle fell into place, the police summoned the families of the couple. The couple, engaged for the last three years, were expecting their first baby. A police officer said, "The man and the woman are both aged about 24 years. They live in the same apartment. However, they were scared to inform their family members about the pregnancy and were planning to hide it untill the wedding. On Thursday, as the woman went into labour, the fiance accompanied her to SSG Hospital but she delivered the baby on the way in the auto rickshaw and passed out. In a state of panic, the man abandoned the baby near a vehicle outside the Khaswadi crematorium." The officer said the families accepted that the child belonged to them. "As the woman began to have contractions over the past few days, she told her family that her discomfort was due to acidity. They claimed the woman managed to conceal the baby bump by wearing loose clothes. We are probing the case," the official said. Officials said the police would counsel the bitter families to accept the couple and the child.
