‘We’re sorry’: Newborn Girl Left Outside Panvel Orphanage with Heartfelt Apology Letter; Father Traced Within Hours
Panvel: In a distressing and emotional episode that has gripped Panvel’s Takka Colony, a three-day-old baby girl was found abandoned in the early hours of Saturday outside an orphanage. The infant, left inside a blue basket along with baby essentials and a handwritten apology letter, was discovered by a morning walker near the Swapnalay Girls’ Hostel around 5:30 am.
Wrapped in a clean cloth and placed beside a feeding bottle, baby food, and clothes, the newborn’s faint cries alerted local residents. Renu Jha and Abhijeet Bhoir, an employee of the Panvel Municipal Corporation, quickly stepped in to help and took the baby to Siddhi Clinic & Nursing Home. Doctors confirmed that the infant was stable, and she has since been moved under the care of the Vatsalya Charitable Trust in Alibaug.
What deeply moved both locals and authorities was the note found alongside her. Written in English, the letter conveyed raw pain and desperation from the parents:
“We are really sorry that we had to do this. We have no other option. We can’t manage anything for this baby mentally and financially. Please don’t involve anybody or escalate the matter. We don’t want her to face what we have faced. We plead with you to keep her safe. I hope we take her back one day as we are near her. We are sorry.”
Investigators believe the baby was born to an unwed couple from Bhiwandi, Thane district. Although the parents reportedly planned to formally surrender the child to the nearby orphanage, they ultimately left her on the pavement across from the hostel instead. Police have registered a case under Section 317 of the Indian Penal Code, which addresses the abandonment of a child, and under Section 93 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which covers exposing and abandoning a child under twelve.
Acting swiftly, the Navi Mumbai Crime Branch reviewed CCTV footage and used technical surveillance to trace the baby’s father within 24 hours. He has been detained and handed over to Panvel Town Police, who are now working to locate the mother to understand the circumstances leading to this decision.
Senior Inspector Nitin Thakare confirmed that multiple teams had been mobilized to analyze surveillance footage and track down the vehicle involved in leaving the child.
Responding to the incident, Panvel MLA Prashant Thakur assured that every measure would be taken to ensure the baby’s safety and long-term welfare. He also stressed the importance of addressing such tragedies with a balance of legal accountability and social compassion.
Residents of Takka Colony have been left shaken by the discovery. “She was lying there as if no one cared whether she lived or not,” said Renu Jha, still moved by the sight. “How could someone just leave their own baby like that?”
While the baby is now in safe hands and receiving proper care, the incident highlights the deep social stigma, mental health struggles, and financial hardship that can push parents to such desperate actions.
Beyond the facts of abandonment, this story echoes a silent plea for help—a fragile hope expressed through a letter filled with sorrow and apology. Whether the parents will one day return to reclaim their child remains uncertain. For now, she has been given another chance at life.
