MUMBAI: A stillborn male infant was found discarded in a waste bin inside a toilet at Mumbai’s T2 International Airport on Tuesday night. The discovery was made by housekeeping staff during their routine cleaning at 10:30 pm.
According to Sahar police, this is the first known case of body disposal within the airport premises, and the person responsible managed to escape undetected.
Authorities are now gathering information on all airport visitors, including arriving and departing passengers, to identify any pregnant woman who may have suffered a miscarriage.
The deceased infant was taken to Cooper Hospital, where medical staff confirmed that the baby was stillborn before admission.
Police have registered a case under sections 91 and 94 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which address acts intended to prevent live birth or cause death after birth, as well as the concealment of birth through secret disposal of a body.
A police officer from Sahar police station said this was an unprecedented incident at Mumbai Airport.
“A team is reviewing CCTV footage to identify the individual responsible for abandoning the stillborn. We are also tracing the suspect’s movement—whether they entered and exited the airport with the stillborn or if a miscarriage occurred unnoticed. This appears to be a security lapse, as the person was able to dispose of the infant undetected and leave the airport without raising suspicion,” the officer stated.
Investigators are also considering the possibility of unauthorized entry through airport security. “The stillborn baby was found in the trash during restroom cleaning. The staff immediately alerted CISF security personnel, who then informed the police. We are awaiting the post-mortem report to determine the time of death and whether the baby was already stillborn when abandoned,” police said.