Surrogate Baby Left in India by Australian Couple Was Not Trafficked, Investigation Finds

Details have emerged of an investigation into the case of an Australian couple abandoning one of their twins born to a surrogate in India in 2012.

Diplomats in Delhi asked the Australian federal police to investigate child welfare concerns and the possibility the child might have been trafficked.

The investigation found the twin left in India was not trafficked. But diplomats were concerned that the unwanted child, left with Indian friends who wanted a baby, may have been stranded without official parents or citizenship of either country.

The Australian high commission in Delhi was approached by the couple – identified in a summary of the case by the then department of immigration and citizenship as Mr and Mrs S – who said they had come to India to meet their twin biological children born through international surrogacy arrangements. The couple allegedly decided they wanted to take only one baby, a daughter, back to Australia, saying they could not afford to support both children.

Mr and Mrs S told consular staff they had left the unwanted baby with friends who could...