It was around 3am on March 9 when a homeless woman, who sleeps on the pavement in front of the Wapda Colony in Paribagh area of the capital, saw a microbus stopped nearby. A woman came down and left the scene in a hurry leaving behind something wrapped with a white cloth.
The vagrant woman became alert as soon as she heard a baby crying from inside the piece of cloth. She went closer and found a baby boy.
She passed several hours until dawn trying to calm the infant, and when people came out on the street she started asking for food. It worked; some people bought her foods to feed the baby and even medicine.
As the condition of the infant deteriorated on Friday, she sought help from some youths of the area. They took the baby to Dhaka Medical College Hospital around 8:30pm and he was registered as Al-Mamun.
While talking to the Dhaka Tribune Saturday, the saviour identified herself as Taslima. She said that she was now relaxed as Mamun is getting treatment at the paediatrics department of the hospital.
On-duty doctor Zakir Hossain said that Mamun, who would be aged around two months, had been very weak due to high fever. “But there is nothing to fear. He is recovering gradually,” he added.
Fahad Amin, one of the youths who took the baby to the hospital, said that they had informed the police about the matter. He hopes that someone will adopt the baby.
Inspector-in-Charge of DMCH police outpost Mozammel Haque told the Dhaka tribune that they were yet to decide where to send the baby after treatment.
In September, 11-year-old Sabbir and his friends rescued an abandoned baby girl from some dogs in North Kafrul area of the city. The newborn was hurt in some sensitive parts of her body. She is at present staying at an orphanage in Lalbagh area.
On February 1, a teenage rape victim threw out her newborn baby of a fourth floor flat at Bailey Road fearing social stigma. The baby died on February 25 while undergoing treatment at the DMCH.