A trader in Uttar Pradesh found a newborn girl buried in an earthen pot nearly three feet under the ground in Bareilly last week, PTI reported on Sunday. The man, identified as Hitesh Kumar Sirohi, had dug a pit to bury the body of his own newborn daughter when he found the other baby.

After rescuing the girl, he fed her some milk and took her to a hospital, where she is currently undergoing treatment.

Superintendent of Police Abhinandan Singh said Sirohi’s wife Vaishali is a sub-inspector in Bareilly. “She was admitted to a private hospital after she complained of labour pain on Wednesday,” Singh said. “On Thursday, she gave birth to a seven-month premature girl, who died within a few minutes.”

Sirohi then went to bury his daughter on Thursday. “As the pit was being dug, at a depth of three feet, the spade hit an earthen pot, which was pulled out. There was a baby girl lying in it.” She was alive and breathing heavily, the police officer said.

The child’s parents have not yet been identified, Singh said, adding that the police were trying to find them.

“On Saturday, the girl was referred to a higher centre with better and more medical facilities. Her condition has improved,” Chief Medical Officer of Bareilly, Vineet Shukla, said. Shukla added that Bithari Chainpur MLA Rajesh Mishra was taking responsibility for the child’s treatment.