Battered two-year-old baby recovering

Bitten and battered with severe head injuries, a two-year-old baby who was admitted to a hospital here last week is "showing signs of recovery", doctors said Thursday.

Falak was brought to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences' (AIIMS) Trauma Centre around 2.15 p.m. Jan 18 in an unconsciousness state with injury marks all over her body by a 15-year-old girl who claimed to be her mother.

The girl has been sent to a juvenile home, police said.

"The baby has been unconsciousness since the day she was admitted but she is showing signs of recovering," Sumit Sinha, an associate professor of neurosurgery and one of the doctors treating Falak, told IANS.

"She has a fractured skull and there is blood clotting on the right side of her brain. It appears that either her head was smashed against a wall or she suffered a blow from a heavy object. Her left hand is fractured while there is swelling on her right hand. There are human bite marks all over her face, forehead and right leg," he added.

According to doctors, Falak is on ventilator support and has even suffered a cardiac arrest.

"On Jan 18, when the child was admitted she was in coma. Her surviving chances are very low due to her severe brain injuries. It might take more than a month to drag her out of her unconsciousness. A team of around eight doctors are attending to her," added Sinha.

While admitting the baby, the girl said that she lived along with her 'husband' Rajkumar Gupta in a paying guest accommodation in Mahipalpur area of south Delhi, said Nirmal Thakur, spokesperson of AIIMS Trauma Centre.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Chhaya Sharma said that the girl was stopped in the hospital Jan 18 after her story seemed suspicious.

"She has been sent to a juvenile home," said Sharma.

A case of kidnapping, abandoning a child below the age of 12 years and causing hurt has been registered against unknown people, Sharma told IANS.

According to Sharma, the girl had gone missing from her home in Sangam Vihar area of south Delhi last year and her parents had lodged a complaint.

A police officer said the girl had eloped with someone.

The baby was with the girl for the past 20 days, but police are still investigating how she got there.

The girl told police that the child was bruised when she tried to prevent her from running around. The child also slipped in the bathroom later.

"The parents of the child have not been traced yet," Sharma said.