Dead foetus shows up in Lucknow airport security scan, causes flutter

A seven-month-old dead foetus being sent to Mumbai by road through a courier for testing reached the international airport here, causing an alarm as news channels and social media flashed it stating that it was the body of an infant.

However, police rejected the news reports and said the mistake was on the part of the courier company. The foetus was handed over to the courier after the mistake was rectified, they said.

"It was not a body (of an infant). A couple here underwent an IVF procedure. But it was not a success. The foetus was being sent to Mumbai for testing to know why the IVF was not successful. The dead foetus was to be sent to Mumbai by road, but it reached the airport by mistake," ACP of Krishnanagar Saumya Pandey told PTI.

The matter was reported by the airport authorities after they scanned the foetus, she said, adding the courier agent was interrogated and the couple was contacted.

"The couple told the authorities about their treatment and since it was not successful, the foetus was being sent to Mumbai for testing," Pandey said.

"Prima facie, it was not a criminal matter. The mistake was on the part of the courier company. No case has been registered," she said.

SHO of Sarojini Nagar Police Station Rajdev Ram Prajapati told PTI that the foetus was around seven-month-old and it was handed over to the courier after the matter was resolved.