In a chilling and deeply emotional incident that has shaken residents of Panvel, a two-day-old baby girl was found abandoned in a blue basket placed on the footpath opposite Swapnalay Girls’ Hostel, Takka, early Saturday morning. What left locals and police officers stunned was a heart-wrenching handwritten letter, written in English and tucked next to the infant, allegedly by the child’s mother.

The note read: “We are really sorry that we had to do this. We have no other option. We can’t manage anything for this baby mentally and financially. Please don’t involve anybody or escalate the matter. We don’t want her to face what we have faced. We plead with you to keep her safe. I hope we take her back one day as we are near her. We are sorry.”

The infant, wrapped in a clean cloth, was first discovered around 5.30 am by a morning walker who heard faint cries. Soon, local residents Renu Jha and Abhijeet Bhoir, an employee with Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC), arrived and rushed the baby to Siddhi Clinic & Nursing Home.