Former Nepali Janata Dal lawmaker Gayatri Shah and her husband Rajesh Mahato have been arrested by the Metropolitan Police Range, Lalitpur, for leaving their Down syndrome newborn baby at Nepal Mediciti Hospital.

Shah and Mahato were arrested from Bhaisepati, Lalitpur, at around 4pm on Sunday based on the complaint filed by the hospital.

Shah was admitted to the hospital at around 10:30 am on March 12. She underwent Caesarean operation that same day and gave birth to the baby.

It was Shah’s second pregnancy. She had terminated her first after learning that the foetus had Down syndrome.

Shah has accused the hospital of not informing her about her unborn baby’s condition when she was pregnant for the second time.

She spent nearly a month at the hospital before being discharged on April 4.

Shah and her husband, however, refused to take their baby with them.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Narayan Prasad Chimoriya, spokesperson for the range, told the Post, “After the hospital filed a complaint at the range on April 26, we issued an arrest warrant against the couple from the Lalitpur District Court on the same day.”

According to the range, Shah and Mahato were arrested under the Clause 184 of Section 12 of the Criminal Code, 2017. The clause states that an individual cannot abandon an infant, child, a disabled person or an elderly whose wellbeing they are responsible for.

As per the code, an individual found guilty under the Clause can face three years of imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 30,000. “We will request the Lalitpur District Court to keep the duo in five-day judicial custody for further investigation on Monday,” said Chimoriya.