Infant left in a train: Parents granted bail, regain custody of child

The unmarried couple who are the parents of the infant who had abandoned inside a toilet of the Meenagaya Intercity Express Train at Fort Railway station on Friday (March 10) were granted bail this morning (March 17) by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court.

The couple sought court’s permission today (March 17) for the care and full custody of their child after Senior Counsel Lakshan Dias appearing for the couple informed the court that his clients are ready to take custody of the child and preparing to legally marry today considering the well-being of the child.

Meanwhile, the Bandarawela probation officer requested the court to hand over the baby to the couple considering the nutritional requirements of the infant.

Taking into consideration the facts, Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage ordered the Director of Lady Ridgeway Hospital, to hand over the infant to their parents.

Accordingly, the couple was ordered to be released on two sureties of Rs.500,00 each.

The infant will be handed over to the couple under the strict supervision of the Bandarawela probation officer.

The parents of the couple were also ordered to pay close attention to the infant’s safety and whether his nutritional needs are met.

Meanwhile, the Magistrate further ordered that the child and the suspect couple to appear before the Government Analyst on March 21 for a DNA test.

The 25-year-old father was a resident of Meeriyabedda area Koslanda and he was arrested by the area police on Saturday (March 11) while the 26-year-old mother was arrested by Bandarawela police at Nayabedda in Bandarawela on Friday (March 10).