Indian police close to solving mystery of battered baby

Battling for life at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here, battered baby Falak continues to be in a critical condition, doctors say. The next 48 hours till Thursday are crucial for the two-year-old, who is now under a range of antibiotics for brain and chest infection. The Delhi Police is meanwhile trying to piece together the series of events that led to the baby being abandoned and find the main accused, Rajkumar Gupta. It said it was close to solving the case after crucial leads were found Monday. "Baby Falak continues to be in a critical condition. There is no material change in her condition. Infection is the cause for concern," M.C. Misra, chief of the AIIMS trauma centre, said. The baby continues to be on ventilator as doctors feel the next two days will be important to decide whether she can be put off the ventilator. "We are covering with a possible spectrum of antibiotics which may help. Once we get culture report (of the fluids in the brain), the next 72 hours to 5 days (to Sunday) are very crucial for this child," Misra added. Earlier, a doctor put her chances of survival at less than 50 per cent. "Her chances of survival are low. Even though it is difficult to put an exact number, it is less than 50 per cent," Deepak Agrawal, assistant professor, neurosurgery, at the Trauma Centre said. The toddler underwent a second brain surgery on Monday. Falak was admitted to AIIMS with multiple injuries, including a fractured skull, human bite marks on her tiny frame and a clot on the right side of her brain. She was brought to the hospital by a teenage girl who claimed to be her mother. The teenager is now in a juvenile home. Showing faint flicker of hope to the team of doctors monitoring the toddler's condition, the baby continues to be in the same neurological condition even as she opens her eyes and blinks. "She opens her eyes and blinks. We are very fortunate that she has maintained her neurological condition," said Sumit Sinha, associate professor of neurosurgery at AIIMS. "If she does not respond to the antibiotics within 24 to 48 hours, we have to see what is to be done," Sinha, said. Police said their first priority is to catch the main accused, Rajkumar Gupta, alias Dilshad, 28 and then to determine the baby's parentage. A police team is in Mumbai where he is believed to be present but is yet to find him. The 15-year-old, who is believed to be Rajkumar's girlfriend, will be questioned by a child welfare committee which will decide about her custody, police sources said. Police said a woman, Munni, a mother of four, could be the biological mother of the baby. She is said to have left her in the house of another woman, Laxmi, in Uttam Nagar area of west Delhi. Laxmi handed over the baby to Rajkumar, who left the girl with his girlfriend before heading to Mumbai for the treatment of his son. New Delhi - Gulf news