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IN PHOTO: Surrogate mothers rest inside a temporary home for surrogates provided by Akanksha IVF centre in Anand town, about 70 km (44 miles) south of the western Indian city of Ahmedabad August 25, 2013. India is a leading centre for surrogate motherhood, partly due to Hinduism's acceptance of the concept. The world's second test tube baby was born in Kolkata only two months after Louise Brown in 1978. Rising demand from abroad for Indian surrogate mothers has turned "surrogacy tourism" there into a billion dollar industry, according to a report by the Law Commission of India. Picture taken August 25, 2013. REUTERS/Mansi Thapliyal

Australian parents who were blessed with twins, born via a surrogacy arrangement in India reportedly misled High Commission officials in New Delhi. The couple returned to Australia with a baby girl, leaving her twin brother behind. According to the documents, they also warned the authority that the child is at the risk of being stateless.

ABC's Foreign Correspondent program obtained Freedom of Information (FOI) documents revealing new information about the case, showed the couple abandoned the baby boy with the full knowledge of Australian Government officials. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) staff and the Australian High Commission in India were aware that the couple was from New South Wales, where engaging in international surrogacy arrangements are considered illegal.

The top secret FOI documents highlighted the Australian couple's desperate attempt to abandon the child. Meanwhile, in emails and cables exchanged between the officials of the Australian High Commission in New Delhi and Government in Canberra revealed the couple came to India in 2012 to pursue citizenship status for their baby girl. During the same time, the couple wished to leave the boy behind because they couldn’t afford him, besides they said, they already have a son and just a girl “completes their family”.

The documents also revealed the Australian man misinforming the consular staff saying his friends in India "who were unable to conceive a child" would adopt the boy. The couple apparently threatened that abandoning the boy involves him becoming stateless since India did not accept surrogate children as citizens. Three days later, the couple flew back to Australia after the consular staff allowed them to go back without the boy child.

DFAT in Canberra requested the High Commission in India to look into the matter. As per the document the abandoned child may be eligible to receive Australian citizenship, however it cannot be granted automatically without applying for.

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