Bengaluru psychiatrist sentenced to 10 years for abducting, selling newborn
Bengaluru, Feb 27 (PTI): A city court has sentenced a 36-year-old psychiatrist to 10 years rigorous imprisonment for abducting a newborn boy and selling him for Rs 14.5 lakh in 2020.
Rashmi Shashikumar, a resident of Nagarbhavi, was also fined Rs 1 lakh by Judge C B Santosh.
Rashmi, who had been out on bail, was present in court when the verdict was delivered on February 19. She was taken into custody immediately and sent to Bengaluru central prison.
The case dates back to May 29, 2020, when a newborn was stolen from the BBMP (civic body) Hospital in Chamarajpet.
The child’s mother, who had just given birth, fell asleep after taking medication prescribed by a doctor.
When she woke up 45 minutes later, her baby was missing. A police complaint was lodged, but it took nearly a year to trace the child and arrest Rashmi.
On May 29, 2021, police recovered the infant from a couple in North Karnataka, who had been misled into believing the baby was theirs through surrogacy.
Shockingly, when officers arrived at their home, they found the couple joyfully celebrating the child’s first birthday, unaware of the deception.
The investigation was a painstaking effort involving over 700 witness interviews, the analysis of 300 CCTV recordings, and the examination of 5,000 phone call records.
With the help of CCTV footage, police created a suspect’s sketch, which eventually led them to Rashmi and the unsuspecting couple.
According to the chargesheet, Rashmi had met the couple in 2015 while working at a private hospital in Hubballi.
The couple had a child with special needs, and Rashmi assured them that surrogacy could help them have a healthy baby.
In 2019, she collected biological samples from the father, falsely claiming she had found a surrogate mother in Bengaluru. She also took Rs 14.5 lakh from them, promising a baby by May 2020.
As the date approached, Rashmi identified BBMP Hospital as her target due to its lax security. She visited the maternity ward multiple times before carrying out the abduction.
On May 29, she instructed a hospital attendant to give the mother sleeping pills. Once the mother was unconscious, Rashmi took the baby and left. She handed the child over to the couple at a friend’s house in Vijayanagar.
The trial was filled with emotional moments as both the biological parents and the North Karnataka couple recounted their experiences.
The child’s biological parents had lost all hope of seeing their son again, while the woman who had raised him for a year was devastated upon learning the truth.
Public prosecutor B H Bhaskar stated that DNA tests confirmed the child’s biological parents.
Additionally, bank records showed that Rashmi had received Rs 14.5 lakh from the couple, and phone records revealed a longstanding connection between them. Mobile tower data further placed Rashmi at the hospital on the day of the kidnapping.
These pieces of evidence were crucial in securing her conviction.
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KSRTC to run 1000 special services to clear Christmas rush
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation will operate 1000 additional special services in view of the Christmas festival.
In addition to the existing schedule, the special services will run on 19.12.2025, 20.12.2025 and 24.12.2025. Further, special buses will be operated from various places of intra & Interstate places to Bengaluru on 26.12.2025 & 28.12.2025.
Special buses will be exclusively operated from Bengaluru Kempegowda Bus Station to Dharmastala, Kukkesubramanya, Shivamogga, Hassan, Mangaluru, Kundapura, Shringeri, Horanadu, Davangere, Hubbali, Dharwad, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Gokarna, Sirsi, Karwar, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Ballari, Koppala, Yadgir, Bidar, Tirupathi, Vijayawada, Hyderabad and other places.
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Special buses from Mysuru Road Bus Station will be exclusively operated towards Mysuru, Hunsur, Piriyapatna, Virajpet, Kushalanagar, Madikeri.
The corporation has also announced a discount of 5 per cent on the fare if four or more passengers book tickets under a single reservation. A discount of 10 per cent will be extended on return journey tickets if onward and return tickets are booked simultaneously.
In addition to the above, special buses will be operated from all Taluk/District Bus Stands in the jurisdiction of KSRTC based on the traffic needs.
