Dead newborn found in plane toilet, police question teen
NEW DELHI: A 19-year-old athlete aboard an AirAsia flight from Guwahati to the Capital delivered a stillborn premature baby in the toilet of the plane on Wednesday and abandoned it there, in a gruesome incident with several unanswered questions.
According to officials familiar with the developments, the crew noticed the foetus and alerted the pilot who, in turn, radioed ahead. The police has detained the athlete, who was travelling with her coach; she was identified after all women passengers were questioned.
The police has sent the athlete for medical examination and will record her statement after that.
Termination of pregnancy with the consent of a woman in case she is not a minor is allowed if the foetus is fewer than 20 weeks old.
If the police find that the foetus is older than that and someone forced her to abort, the offence is punishable under Section 312 (causing miscarriage) of the Indian Penal Code.
Police said the athlete was to participate in an international sports meet and scheduled to fly out of the country on Thursday.
“The woman told police that she delivered the foetus during the flight. The matter is being investigated and has also been reported to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation,” said deputy commissioner of police (IGIA), Sanjay Bhatia.
Police officials involved in the investigation say that while the age of the foetus can only be ascertained after a post mortem, an initial examination suggests it could be 20 weeks old.
“A newborn infant was found lifeless and abandoned in one of the lavatories when the aircraft was being prepared for landing. Delhi Police were alerted and a doctor from the medical team at Delhi International Airport confirmed that the baby had been delivered on-board. A suspect has been held back by police for further investigation. The suspect was identified on questioning of all female passengers on board,” AirAsia said in a statement.
“The matter has been reported to DGCA and the airline’s staff are attending to other guests and cooperating with Delhi Police. We will be assisting in the investigation and cooperating with all concerned agencies,” the airline added.