A tribal quack has been arrested in Nabarangpur district for allegedly branding a newborn child with hot iron nails to treat him for his abdominal pain. The unregistered medical practitioner was arrested after a complaint was filed against him.
The incident had taken place at Butipadar village under Papadahandi block on Thursday when an Anganwadi worker called the quack Purushotttam Ghasi from a nearby village to treat her 28-day baby.
The quack seared hot iron nails on the infant’s chest and abdominal area to cure him of the ailment. However, there were no signs of improvement and the baby’s condition deteriorated, following which the patient was rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital here for treatment. The infant was admitted to the SNCU (Sick Newborn Care Unit), where he was diagnosed with pneumonia and septicaemia.
Following the incident, a case was registered with the local police station and the accused quack was arrested late on Saturday night. On the other hand, the mother of the infant denied the allegations that she availed the services of the quack to treat her child.