In a heartbreaking incident, a woman who murdered her two-month-old daughter due to poverty in Jhansi was arrested, police said on Wednesday.
The infant’s body was found in a drain behind the house 28 hours later by the Poonch police probing the incident.
The incident came to light when the father of the infant sought the police help to trace his missing daughter. The woman kept giving contradicting accounts on her whereabouts at the time of crime. She broke down later during interrogation and admitted to the crime citing her poverty.
Senior Superintendent of Police Rajesh S said 112 (emergency helpline) police received information on Sunday that a two-month-old baby was missing from a house in Nai Basti under the jurisdiction of Poonch police station. "Acting on the complaint, the police immediately reached the spot and launched a search operation," he said. About 28 hours later, on Monday, the infant's body was found in a drain behind the house, after which the police started questioning the family members, including the mother. Investigations revealed that the woman and the infant were alone at the house when the incident occurred.
The woman said she had gone out for some time on Sunday and she found the baby missing from the residence. She claimed that it could have been the handiwork of cats from the thick forest adjoining her backyard. However, her stories fell flat after the lifeless corpse of the infant was fished out of the drain.
During questioning, the woman broke down and admitted to having killed the child. She threw the child in the drain as she felt she would not be able to nurture the child given their financial condition. She said that she was concerned about her child's future and well-being, Rajesh said. The police said the woman was arrested and the body of the child was sent for post-mortem for further investigation.
The woman was remanded to judicial custody by a court, police said.