How Could You? Hall of Shame-India-Two Adoptees case

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Kolkata, India,”police have booked a Gurgaon-based couple for allegedly molesting two orphan siblings whom the couple adopted from West Bengal earlier this year.

According to police, a ‘prospective adoptive’ couple from Gurgaon adopted two minor siblings, a boy (4) and a girl (2), from an orphanage in Kolkata in March 2022. Police said that on July 12, 2022, the children were “returned” to the institution by the foster parents.

The orphanage filed a general diary entry on July 16 at a police station in Kolkata alleging that the children had suffered injuries due to physical abuse by the couple. Following up on the entry, a complaint was lodged by the institution’s manager in November 2022 at the police station.

The complaint said that in compliance with orders of government guidelines, the children were examined by a medical officer and a paediatrician on the day they were returned in July 2022 and the next day, a detailed medical examination was conducted by a team of doctors.

The FIR stated that the medical report and disruption of adoption report were forwarded by the complainant through email to the Directorate of Child Rights and Trafficking, Government of West Bengal.

“From the report it is evident that the children bore certain injury marks which may have been due to physical sexual abuse while they were in the custody of the foster parents at Gurgaon from March 30 to July 12, 2022,” the FIR read.

A zero-FIR was then lodged in Kolkata and it was received via post by Gurgaon Police in the last week of November. An FIR was registered by Gurgaon Police on December 9.

“Prima facie, we have registered an FIR against the couple. No arrests have been made so far. The statement of the children and complainant will be recorded. We have contacted police in Kolkata and sought some documents over email for further probe,” said a Gurgaon police officer.

An FIR was registered under IPC sections 354 (assault with intent to outrage a woman’s modesty) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy), section 10 of the POCSO Act, and section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015.”

Gurgaon couple who adopted, then returned 2 children booked for ‘sexual abuse’
[Indian Express 12/14/22 by Pavneet Singh Chadha]

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