Bhubaneswar, Oct. 13: The Child Welfare Committee today lodged a complaint at Mancheswar police station against the mother of the four-year-old girl, who was rescued from their locked house at Kalarahanga yesterday.

The complaint was lodged for alleged negligence and compromising the security of the child by confining her.

The committee has kept the girl at its shelter home and would not return to her parents till they arrange a proper alternative and ensure that the child's safety is not compromised. The parents of the child appeared before the committee today.

The girl's mother, who works at a private hospital in the city, used to leave her child locked inside the house when she went to work since she had no relative to take care of the kid. Her husband works in Rourkela.

When neighbours informed Childline about the incident, the officials called up the mother and asked her to come down immediately. Childline is a Centre-backed body that intends to take care of children in need of protection.

"I was attending to a cardiac patient when I received the call. I requested the officials to wait since I could not leave before 4.30pm. But, they took away my child. Everybody blames the mother, especially the media. They want to prove me guilty without even caring to know my situation," said the mother.

The woman told the committee that she had employed a caretaker for her child, but the person quit in a few days. She also said she found it risky leaving the kid alone with an unknown person. However, they will look for an alternative by tomorrow, so that they can take their girl back, she said.

"We would decide whichever option is suitable. May be one of us will have to leave the job to stay with her. We assured the committee that my child would never be left alone in future," said the 30-year-old woman.

Committee member Benudhar Senapati said the child would be handed over to her parents only after the panel was satisfied that she would not be left alone. "We would physically verify the alternative arrangement made by the parents and only then the child would be handed over. Till that period, the kid will stay in the shelter home," said Senapati.