Two cleaners in Singapore, while cleaning bags and rubbish from a chute bin in Bedok North on Tuesday, January 7, found a newborn baby boy who was alive inside a bloody bag which was tied. After the paramedics reached the location and checked the baby they established that the infant was in stable condition with no visible injury.
Singapore police said that they were alerted to the case at Block 534 Bedok North Street 3 on Tuesday at around 9 am. The newborn boy was taken KK Women's and Children's Hospital for further medical support.
The dumped unknown infant
One of the cleaners, 24-year-old Patwari Shamin said that he heard the crying of the baby after he opened a rubbish bin. As per the Chinese newspaper, Lianhe Wanbao, he later realized that the crying noises were from a tied white plastic bag. Soon he informed the supervisor who called the police.
After they opened the bag they found the infant with blood on his body and the umbilical cord still attached. The cleaner said that the infant was crying loudly but he did not look hurt. Later when paramedics reached the spot, the baby was handed over to them.
Later, police talked to several people from the neighbourhood and showed CCTV footage of a woman walking down the stairs to one of the second storey residents, 29-year-old Chelvi Sukumaran. As reported by The New Paper, officers asked if she knew her or had seen her around.
Officials went door to door to speak to residents in the 13-story block to trace the parents of the newborn baby. They asked owners of vehicles left at the open-air carpark nearby to show some footage from the in-car cameras. But as of now, the police couldn't find any clue about the parents.
Abandoning babies
It should be noted that a spokesperson from the Ministry of Social and Family Development stated that the abandonment of babies in Singapore is rare. She mentioned that the Child Protective Service (CPS) will look into the immediate care arrangement of the newborn baby, while the police investigate the case.
Meanwhile, the baby boy may be placed under the care of a foster. If the police can't find the parents of the child CPS will assess and recommend the appropriate permanent care plan for the infant, added the spokesperson.
