A two-and-a-half-year-old toddler, who had gone missing from a daycare centre in Telangana, was finally rescued after eight months and reunited with the mother. Reportedly, it was after the High Court intervened that the local police were able to find the girl’s whereabouts.

What had happened?

According to The News Minute, the 25-year-old single mother, Shavnarshi Reddy had dropped off her child at a daycare centre located at Kukatpally. The centre was run by Narender, who works as a compounder with a private hospital. He charged Rs 8000 a month for the daycare service.

In August of 2018, when the mother went to meet her child, the caretaker said that there was no such child in the daycare. The woman was then allegedly physically abused and thrown out.

The helpless women then approached the local police, however, her complaint was not registered then. It was only after six months in January 2019, that the woman could file a formal complaint after a meeting with the Cyberabad police commissioner. Since the case did not move forward from there, the woman was forced to approach the Telangana High Court in the last week of March.

She approached the High Court with a Habeas Corpus petition seeking the production of her daughter. In her affidavit to the court, the woman alleged that the caretaker of the centre had sold the girl to a couple and lied that there was no child under their custody. She also complained about the police and their reluctance to register a complaint.

A Division Bench comprising Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice T. Amarnath Goud not only expressed their displeasure with the police but also hinted towards the fact that the police may have been working in tandem with the daycare centre that was accused of selling the girl. It was then that the court ordered the daycare centre to trace the child. After the court intervened, the police traced the child and placed her in a state-run home.

After months of running from pillar to post, the mother was reunited with her daughter on April 2 after she was produced at court. The court ordered the police to return the child to the biological mother.

The Times Of India reported that the woman’s counsel said that in 2014, the 25-year-old mother married a man against the wishes of her family. However, despite knowing that his wife is six months pregnant, the man walked out of the marriage. In 2016, the woman gave birth to her daughter, however, during the preparation of the MBA exam, it became difficult for her to take care of the child alone.

When trouble strikes, we turn to police authorities for help. However, in this case, the young mother was helpless. The Logical Indian urges the authorities, especially the police to take cognisance of genuine cases like this one and then look into a matter.

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