A newborn baby girl found abandoned in a roadside backpack has sparked outrage — and heartbreak — after police tracked down the mother, who now faces criminal charges.
The shocking discovery was made yesterday, July 18, when a passerby found the infant stuffed inside a black backpack left on a footpath along Suhrawardy Bang Kasee Road in Samut Prakan. The tiny girl had been hidden in the bag for hours, dangerously close to a busy road.
Authorities used CCTV footage to identify the culprit, 32 year old Ploy from Sisaket province. Video evidence showed her leaving her rented room in Mueang Bang Sao Thong at 8.12pm on Wednesday, July 16, carrying the infant in a backpack and placing it in the front basket of her motorcycle. She drove approximately 2 kilometres before ditching the child on a bridge over the Bang Kasee Canal.
Miraculously, the baby was discovered alive on Thursday, July 17 at 1.25pm by a concerned local who brought the child home before calling emergency services.
Police Colonel Phairoj Phetraploy, along with Police Lieutenant Colonel Phawat Rattanaporn and Captain Santirat Ngernmun from Bang Phli Police Station, led the investigation. They located Ploy’s motorcycle hidden behind a building and brought her in for questioning.
Ploy admitted to giving birth alone in her rented room, claiming she was overwhelmed and unprepared.
“I hoped someone would find her and take care of her,” she said.
The woman had become pregnant without her family’s knowledge and said the father abandoned her early in the pregnancy. Despite using emergency contraception, she carried the baby to term and delivered without medical help.
She later returned to the scene to check on the baby from a distance but never approached.
Ploy’s aunt said the family recognised her from news reports and confronted her. Initially, Ploy denied involvement, blaming weight gain for her pregnancy. After intense questioning, she broke down and confessed. The family has since expressed a desire to take custody of the baby, reported KhaoSod.
Police confirmed that Ploy is being charged with child abandonment under Section 306 of the Criminal Code, which carries a penalty of up to three years in prison, a fine of 60,000 baht, or both. Investigators are reviewing whether more severe charges, such as attempted murder, may apply.
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