Dr Tapeshwar Lal Karna, a senior gynaecologist and former medical superintendent at Koshi Hospital, has been detained for his alleged involvement in selling a newborn to a childless couple.

Police on Friday took Karna, aged 68, in custody for investigation from the Green Cross Hospital in Biratnagar, but he was subsequently admitted to the hospital after he complained of high blood pressure and high blood sugar. He is currently receiving treatment at the hospital under police surveillance.

The accused allegedly trafficked a baby born at the hospital on June 29.

According to the District Police Office in Morang, Karna sold the baby which was born to an unmarried couple originally hailing from ward 4 of Hatuwagadhi Rural Municipality in Bhojpur district.

A 26-year-old woman gave birth to a baby at Green Cross Hospital under the medical surveillance of Karna. The infant’s father had taken his eight-month-pregnant girlfriend to Karna’s clinic. She gave birth to the infant weighing just 950 grams the next day.

The infant’s mother lodged a complaint at the District Police Office on August 17 against the child’s father and Karna accusing them of selling her baby.

The mother was discharged from Green Cross Hospital on June 29 without the infant. According to police, the infant’s father took the woman to a hotel in Itahari of Sunsari district. The man left the hotel after two days and didn’t return. The woman later went to Sonapur, Sunsari, and stayed there with her relatives for a few weeks.

“He (the infant’s father) told me that the infant was kept at the hospital for treatment when I asked about the baby,” police quoted the woman’s statement while registering the case. “My baby disappeared from the hospital,” she said.

Based on the woman’s complaint, police first detained the infant’s father for investigation. Karna was detained following the statement of the child’s father, said police.

Sources claimed that Karna had been involved in selling babies born through illicit relationships to childless couples for the past 10 years.

“Karna was found to have taken Rs35,000 from the infant’s father to ‘manage’ the newborn. It is still unclear whom he sold the infant to and at what price,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police Ranjan Kumar Dahal, who is also the spokesman at the Morang District Police Office. The investigation officers are yet to record the accused’s statement as he is receiving treatment at the high dependency unit.

According to Dahal, Karna was preparing to perform a C-section at Green Cross Hospital when the police team reached there to detain him last Friday. “He (Karna) lay down on the floor complaining of high blood pressure and diabetes. Police took him to Koshi Hospital for treatment. The hospital administration has not yet informed police about his health condition,” said Dahal.

He said the whereabouts of the infant suspected to have been trafficked are yet to be traced as police could not interrogate Karna about the incident.

Morang police complained that the Koshi Hospital administration and doctors involved in Karna’s treatment did not cooperate with the police in the investigation. A source at the District Police Office said police are planning to file a case against the Koshi Hospital administration for not cooperating in the police investigation.

“Karna is receiving treatment at the high-dependency unit. His blood sugar level is very high and he has mental illness as well,” said Dr Manoj Thakur, the acting medical superintendent of police. He denied the police’s accusation of not helping in the investigation. “The hospital has all the reports of his treatment. Police can take the reports,” he added.