Raipur, Nov 16 (IANS) In a rare case, an underdeveloped foetus was found in a month-old male child in Chhattisgarh and was removed through surgery, a doctor who carried out the operation said here Tuesday.

"I was stunned to see what the sonography results were showing, it was clearly indicating an underdeveloped foetus the size of a cricket ball in the stomach of the boy born Oct 12," Ashok Bhattar, director of Raipur-based Bal Gopal Children Hospital, told reporters.

Bhattar, assisted by a team of doctors, removed the foetus from the stomach in a surgery here Nov 13. The foetus had developed eyes and nails to a great extent.

The child was born to Bhileshwari and Tikamchand Sahu at Abhanpur area in Dhamtari district. It had been a normal delivery.

"Since his birth, we were highly worried about his life as a mass of flesh had appeared on his stomach and my son was in pain almost all the time. Since I belong to a poor family I was highly tense, but doctors in Raipur have given my child a new life," said Bhileshwari, 24.

The boy is out of danger and recovering fast.

Bhattar said the condition is called "foetus-in-foetu", a very rare congenital abnormality where a malformed foetus is included within the body of another foetus.

Bhattar said: "It's a rare incident in medical science but not unheard of. Reports of foetuses in newborns keep coming but it was the first ever incident reported from Chhattisgarh."