Woman held for killing 9-day-old daughter as she wanted a son: Delhi Police

The shocking crime took place in Baba Haridas Colony near Tikri in Mundka, outer Delhi, on Thursday, police said

The Delhi Police has arrested a 22-year-old woman for allegedly killing her nine-day-old daughter by slitting her throat with a knife in a case of female infanticide, senior officers aware of the matter said on Saturday, adding that the horrific incident happened because the woman “did not want a girl child”.

Police said that the forensic experts arrived at the crime scene and collected evidence related to the case. The weapon of the offence, a knife, was recovered from the house. (Representational image)

The shocking crime took place in Baba Haridas Colony near Tikri in Mundka, outer Delhi, on Thursday, police said. The woman has been arrested and booked for murder, officers said.

Sharing the details of the case, deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (outer) Jimmy Chiram said police received a complaint from the father of the infant, Govinda Sahni, who reached the Mundka police station and informed the police.

Sahni told them that the crime took place at his house in Baba Haridas Colony. “A team immediately left for the crime scene with Sahni. The police personnel went inside the second-floor house and found the newborn baby girl dead in a room. The mother of the infant was in the other room. She was taken into custody and removed from the house,” said DCP Chiram.

“The 22-year-old woman was interrogated to ascertain the reason for the crime. She disclosed that she did not want to have a girl child. A case of murder was registered, and the woman was arrested,” the officer added.

Police said that the forensic experts arrived at the crime scene and collected evidence related to the case. The weapon of the offence, a knife, was recovered from the house.

The DCP added that further inquiry revealed Sahni works as a labourer in a shoe manufacturing factory in Bahadurgarh. The couple has a two-year-old son. The infant who died was their second child, but the first daughter.

Even though the woman has confessed to the crime and disclosed the reason behind it, investigators are also probing the case from other angles like marital discord between the couple or if the accused suffered from poor mental health, police added. Investigators did not reveal the identity of the woman.