KARACHI: Bodies of five newborn babies were recovered from a garbage heap near Abdul Sattar Bachani petrol pump in the Tando Allah Yar district of Sindh on Saturday.

Following discovery of the bodies, local residents in the area informed police and Civil Hospital officials.

Police reached the site and took the bodies into custody, which were later shifted to Civil Hospital.

In the aftermath of the discovery, panic spread in the area and residents demanded the arrest of those involved in this heinous offence.

According to Pakistani law, anyone found to have abandoned an infant can be jailed for seven years, while anyone guilty of secretly burying a child can be imprisoned for two years. Murder is punishable with life imprisonment.

But crimes of infanticide are rarely prosecuted.

Edhi says that up to 200 babies are left in its 400 cradles nationwide each year and that it handles thousands of requests for adoption by childless couples.