With arrest of Indian mom, mystery of newborn girl shockingly left to die in forest solved in US

IANS

New York, May 20

Officials in Georgia say that after four years they have finally solved the mystery of a newborn girl shockingly left to die in a wood, with the arrest of the baby's Indian-origin mother, according to media reports.

Forsyth Country Sheriff, Ron Freeman, announced on Friday that Karima Jiwani was established through DNA as the baby's mother and faces charges of attempted murder, cruelty to children and reckless abandonment, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Referring to her as "the biological parent" while announcing the arrest, Freeman said, "I have trouble with the word 'mother', (for someone) who inexplicably, intentionally, left her newborn infant to die." "This child was tied up in a plastic bag and thrown into woods like a bag of trash," he said, adding, "Back then I called it divine intervention, and I still believe that today".

The girl, who is now four-year-old was nicknamed "Baby India" by hospital staff when she was found, has been adopted and Freeman said that she was a "healthy, happy child".

To protect her privacy, officials did not identify her or provide further details.

Freeman said that the child's father was identified through DNA about 10 months ago and then her mother was traced, according to Fox TV Atlanta.

The father, who was not identified, did not know the woman was pregnant and has not been charged in connection with the abandonment, he said.

Jiwani is known to have a history of concealed pregnancies and "surprise births", Appen Media reported.

It quoted Freeman as saying that Jiwani, 40, has other children ranging in age from school-going to "near adulthood".

A Georgia regulation known as Safe Haven Law allows mothers to leave their babies at medical facilities or police and fire stations without facing criminal charges.

Jiwani did not make any attempt to avail of the law's provisions, Freeman said according to Appen News.

He said that she probably gave birth in a vehicle before abandoning the baby.

The Journal-Constitution said that a family near the woods heard a baby's cries and called the sheriff's deputies.

They rescued the baby and performed first aid.