SINGAPORE - A woman was charged on Thursday (July 30) with exposure and abandonment of a child below 12 years old after a newborn baby boy was found in Tai Keng Gardens near Upper Paya Lebar Road on Monday.

She is said to be the infant's mother and is accused of committing the offence at around 5pm that day.

The 29-year-old Indonesian was arrested on Wednesday and cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the child's identity.

A resident who wanted to be known only as Mr Lew had earlier told The Straits Times that his son-in-law heard the infant shortly after a family dinner on Monday evening.

Mr Lew said: "He heard a strange noise coming from the recycling bin, and asked some of us for help to check it out.

"No one dared to open the bin because they thought it might be a cat or a dog, so they called me for help."

Mr Lew said that after lifting the lid, he spotted the infant, wrapped in a towel and placed inside paper bags.

The police were alerted soon after.

His family managed to take the baby out of the bin, and an ambulance arrived at the scene minutes later.

The baby was then rushed to KK Women's and Children's Hospital.

Police had earlier said the baby boy had no visible injuries and his condition was stable.

In a statement on Wednesday, they said: "Through extensive ground investigations and with the aid of images from CCTV footage provided by residents, officers from the Ang Mo Kio Police Division established the identity of the woman, who is believed to have abandoned the baby.

"The police would like to express our appreciation to the members of the community who provided valuable information which aided investigations and contributed to the arrest."

Officers are also looking into the identity of the baby's father.

The woman's bail was set at $20,000 on Thursday and her case has been adjourned to Aug 13.

If convicted of the offence, she can be jailed for up to seven years and fined.