‘Father’ ran away leaving the six-month-old baby girl on the deck of the launch, then…

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A man identified as father disappeared leaving a six to seven month old baby girl in a Dhaka-bound launch from Patuakhali’s Baufal. The person boarded the Dhaka-bound MV Bandhan-5 launch from the Dhulia Launch Ghat in Baufal at around 7:30 pm on Wednesday. On Thursday morning, the launch authority handed over the child to the police of Sadarghat Naval Police Station in Dhaka. Later the child was given to the custody of a voluntary organization.

Talking to the passengers and officials of the launch, it is known that the launch named MV Bandhan-5 started its journey towards Dhaka from Kalaia Launch Ghat yesterday around 4 pm. When the launch anchored at Dhulia launch ghat around 7:30 in the evening, the person boarded the launch with the girl child along with other passengers. Introducing himself as the child’s father, he spread the bed with the other passengers and called the child to lie down and sat next to him. After some time he disappeared.

The passenger of the launch. Sohel told Prothom Alo that he also boarded the Bandhan launch from Dhulia Ghat to go to Dhaka. Then a man got into the launch with the child in his arms. But he does not know him. A woman passenger of the launch said that shortly after boarding the launch, the person identified as the child’s father left the child lying on the second floor of the launch and said to take care of the child. He (woman) thought that he might have gone somewhere for an urgent need. Seeing that he was late, he took the child in his arms and went down to find the person. By then the launch had left Dhulia Ghat. He then informed the matter to the other passengers and the launch authorities next to him. Since then, the child was with him till this morning.

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Supervisor of MV Bandhan-5 launch. Sajal told Prothom Alo on the phone, “I can’t say anything about why the person who identified himself as the father has disappeared leaving the child behind. Attempts to identify the child’s family failed in the Dhulia area. After reaching Dhaka this morning, I handed over the child to the naval police station in Sadarghat area around seven.

Police Inspector of Sadarghat Naval Police Station. Sohag Rana confirmed the truth and told Prothom Alo that the child has been given to the custody of a voluntary organization named ‘Local Education and Economic Development Organization (LEEDO)’ engaged in the welfare of street children and children at extreme risk after discussing with the higher authorities. Also, efforts are being made to identify the child. He said, “If you also write, if the child’s relatives notice, they can come to take the child.”