Chennai Police probe mother’s allegation that clinic handed over her baby to childless couple

Chennai, Oct 6 (IANS) A 27-year-old daily wage labourer on Tuesday approached the Chennai police alleging that her son, born at a private fertility clinic in Kolathur, was handed over to a couple who are now refusing to return him.

Acting on the complaint, police have booked a doctor at the clinic and the couple from Tiruvottiyur.

An investigation is underway to establish how the baby came into their custody and whether the arrangement was intended to be temporary.

The woman, K. Megala of Chengalpattu, said she had agreed to let the couple care for her newborn for three months on a doctor’s suggestion.

The Police, however, said her accounts contained contradictions that required further examination.

Megala, who already had a four-year-old son, lost her husband to natural causes in February 2025, police said.

She was then three months pregnant with her second child and struggling financially.

In her complaint, Megala said that she came across a social media advertisement offering free medical treatment at a hospital in Kolathur.

She visited the facility during the seventh month of her pregnancy and explained her financial circumstances to the doctors and other staff.

She gave birth to a boy at the hospital on July 29, 2025.

Megala alleged that hospital staff initially told her the newborn needed to be kept in isolation.

According to her account, she was shown the baby only 10 days after the delivery.

She also said that another doctor introduced her to a childless couple from Tiruvottiyur and suggested that they care for the infant for three months before returning him to her.

Megala added that she agreed to the proposed temporary arrangement.

Her complaint alleges that the hospital staff subsequently handed the baby over to the couple.

However, when she approached them recently and asked for her son to be returned, the couple allegedly refused.

She then sought police intervention.

The complaint centres on her assertion that she had consented to the couple caring for the child for a limited period, with the understanding that he would later be returned.

Police have booked the clinic doctor and the couple and begun inquiries into the allegations.

They are examining how the child came to be placed with the couple, while also looking into the inconsistencies they have identified in Megala’s account.

–IANS

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