WALAYAR: A newborn baby was found abandoned on the National Highway. In connection with the incident, the police have arrested a 35-year-old mother, an Assam native, in Angamaly. The baby was found in a bush near Pettakkad in Chullimada near the toll plaza at 11 am yesterday.

The woman reached in a bus traveled by an Assam group that came to Perumbavoor for work. The baby was reportedly abandoned shortly after birth. The woman got off the bus at the toll plaza when it stopped for basic needs. A native then saw a woman boarding a bus near the stream. The baby was found by those who heard cries from the bushes.

The police on receiving the information, rushed the baby to a community health center and district hospital for specialist treatment. Hospital officials said the baby was healthy.

Meanwhile, after checking the CCTV footage and contacting the motor vehicle department, the Angamaly police found the bus and took the woman into custody and then to a hospital. They were accompanied by a relative and friend. Walayar police have registered a case under the Child Rights Act.