Sharjah: A newborn boy was found abandoned on the doorstep of a mosque in Al Qasba area of Sharjah, a police official told Gulf News on Saturday.
The incident happened at around 4am on Saturday. The baby was left on the doorstep of the mosque and was spotted by a guard of the mosque, who reported the incident to the police as well as to the imam (prayer leader) of the mosque.
The guard, identified as Mohammad Yousef Javed from India’s Kerala state, is a resident of Al Qasba and has lived in the UAE for 18 years.
Javed told Gulf News he came to the mosque on Saturday at 4am before the Fajr (dawn) call to prayer to prepare the mosque for prayer. He found the baby covered with a blanket and left on the doorstep of the mosque.
“The baby boy was crying and I put a prayer rug on him because it was cold. I immediately reported the incident to police, who reached the mosque within a few minutes,” he said.
Javed added that he and his wife, who worked as a teacher, have not had a child for the past 25 years. “We have been wishing to have baby while other parents throw their children on the road.”
Probe
A team from Al Buhairah police station and members of the Criminal Investigation Division rushed to the scene.
A probe to track down the baby’s parents is under way, police said.
Footage from a nearby premises’ CCTV system was checked to help authorities identify the person who left the baby. The baby, who has an Asian appearance, was moved to Al Qasimi Hospital by national ambulance. His age is estimated to be one or two days.
According to hospital officials, the baby is in good health and will be handed over to a child protection committee in Sharjah after a few days.
This is the second such incident since June, when a newborn girl was found abandoned near a mosque in the Al Nazwa area of Sharjah. The baby was also discovered around 4am.
The child was spotted by passers-by who reported the incident to the police, who rushed to the scene and launched a probe to track down the baby’s parents. In that case, footage from a nearby CCTV system was also checked to help authorities identify the family.
The baby was taken to Al Dhaid Hospital and was reported to be in good health.
