A 38-year-old woman lawyer landed in soup for ‘adopting’ four orphaned children without proper documentation at Secretariat Colony after all six children, including the two officially adopted by her, were taken away by child welfare committee, for enquiry on Thursday.
“A district welfare officer along with child helpline official went to the house of lawyer Nisha located on Barracks Road and took away the children – five girls and a boy – to the office of the child welfare committee for examination if any kind cruelty was meted out to children by the woman,” the police said on Thursday.
Except one girl, who is aged around 12, all others are below the age of seven.
According to the police, five of the six children are studying in one of the posh schools in Purasawalkam.
“The other girl is also studying in another good school. All the children, along with her own son, call Nisha ‘amma’. She looked very concerned when the government officials started questioning the children at the two-bed room rented flat, where they all stayed,” a member of police team which went to her flat based on request from the district welfare committee, said.
District welfare official said that the action was based on an anonymous letter received by the government about a person running an unauthorised orphanage in the area. She had been taking children to her home, through a woman, who found abandoned children.
“We should make sure that all those four children were not stolen by somebody and sold to her. If biological parents lodge complaints it would turn into a difficult case. It also depends on what the children are saying to the child welfare committee during enquiry,” a police officer noted.