Was being forced into prostitution, claims baby Falak's 'mother'

A 22-year-old woman who may be the mother of Falak - the battered baby who is fighting for survival at AIIMS - has claimed that her husband was forcing her into prostitution and she had run away from her home, police say.

Delhi Police claim to have traced the woman, Munni, who could be the biological mother of Falak. A police officer said she was found about a week ago in Rajasthan and brought here Sunday night.

Munni has told her interrogators that her husband was forcing her into prostitution and that is why she ran away from her house in Rajasthan last year to come to Delhi.

She said she is the real mother of Falak, who was left bruised and battered at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) last month.

Police sources said a DNA test would be conducted on Munni to prove her claim.

The police officer expected Munni to give the investigators some leads into the case which is suspected to be connected to prostitution.

Police said Munni in September had first left the baby with another woman Lakshmi in Delhi and had disappeared. The baby later landed with Rajkumar, the main suspect in the case who is still at large.

Rajkumar is alleged to have left his wife and son to elope with a 14-year-old girl who brought Falak to AIIMS Jan 18.

Five people -- Munni, Sandeep, his wife Pooja, Aarti and Jitendra Kumar Gupta, the teenager's father who used to physically assault her -- have been arrested so far.

The teenager, who initially claimed to be Falak's mother, is now in a juvenile home. She got the baby from Rajkumar, the key accused in the case who is on the run.

Meanwhile, the health condition of Falak continues to be critical. She continues to be on ventilator support and doctors say they will be issuing a health bulletin once they get her blood culture reports.