In a disturbing case of illegal child adoption, Mumbai Police have registered a case against two women from Thane for conspiring to adopt a newborn by falsifying identity documents and deceiving KEM Hospital. The accused, identified as Shilpa Pandey (38) and Shahnaz Rehmat Ali Shaikh alias Pathan (34), are residents of Kalyan (East), Thane district.
Shilpa Pandey, who became pregnant last year, allegedly did not want to keep her baby due to financial distress and her husband’s alcoholism. Around the same time, she met Shahnaz Shaikh, who was medically unable to conceive and wanted to adopt a child.
Instead of following legal adoption protocols via the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), the duo plotted to bypass the law. On October 11, 2023, Pandey delivered the baby at KEM Hospital, Mumbai, but used Pathan’s Aadhaar card and name for hospital registration. This resulted in a fraudulent birth certificate listing Shaikh as the baby’s biological mother.
The hospital staff discharged the baby on October 15 without detecting the deception.
The fraud came to light on January 28, when the child suffered from severe appendicitis and was admitted to Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children in Parel. During surgery and follow-up care, conflicting documentation and inconsistent statements from Shaikh raised red flags.
When questioned, Shaikh confessed that the child was not biologically hers.
Wadia Hospital alerted the Sakhi Centre and Mumbai Police.
Thane District Child Protection Unit was also involved.
