Police have identified the parents of the three-month-old baby girl found abandoned in a forest in Belalu village, Belthangady. Investigations led police to Ranjith Gowda (27), a security guard in Dharmasthala, and Sushmitha from Kolangaje. Ranjith has been taken into custody for questioning.

The infant, currently under the care of an ashram in Puttur, will be reunited with the parents once DNA verification is complete. Locals had discovered the baby in the forest, after which officials from the Women and Child Development Department took charge and filed a complaint.

Police revealed that Ranjith and Sushmitha were in a relationship but had kept the pregnancy a secret. After delivery, they abandoned the child in the forest. Following investigations, Dharmasthala SI Samarth R. Ganigera and his team traced Ranjith on April 2 and detained him.

Sources indicate that the couple has now decided to marry, with their families also supporting the decision.