A Rawalpindi woman dropped off her newborn baby outside the house of a health worker in Rawalpindi.

It is believed the woman abandoned her child because the child was born a girl.

The health worker, who works for Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, has been taken into police custody. The police are investigating whether the health worker 'bought' the child from the mother. The health worker has been accused of paying Rs150,000 to buy the newborn girl.

The police said they were responding to a complaint on 15 after which they arrived at the health worker's house, but the health worker says she herself called the police after neighbors tried to snatch the child away.

The child’s mother is still missing. The Waris Khan police are investigating the incident.