Mumbai: Three-month-old girl buried alive, 2 arrested

Cuffe Parade police arrested two people for allegedly kidnapping and killing a three-month-old, after the girl’s parents refused to give “shagun” money to one of the accused, a eunuch, upon the birth of the child. The duo allegedly buried the child alive in a marshy land along the shore, police said.

The police said the eunuch, Kannu, visited the child’s home in Ambedkar Nagar slums in Cuffe Parade on Thursday and demanded ₹2,000, a saree and a coconut, as traditional “shagun” from her parents. The child’s father Sachin Chitkole, his wife and grandfather asked Kannu to come later on the day of her naming ceremony. Kannu then allegedly got angry, leading to a heated argument.

Kannu then met her friend Sonu (full name not known) and the two decided to approach the child’s parents. “Sonu along with Kannu allegedly kidnapped the child around 2am on Friday when everyone was fast asleep. The family had not closed the door as it was hot in the night,” a police officer said.

After the mother could not find the child in the morning, they looked for the baby in nearby areas and reported the matter to Cuffe Parade police. They had named Kannu as a suspect.

Kannu then appeared at the police station and claimed to be innocent. However, after sustained interrogation, she admitted to killing the child with the help of her friend. She said they kidnapped and buried the child alive in a marshy land along the sea.

“The body of the child has been recovered and sent for post-mortem,” said deputy commissioner of police Chaitanya Siriprolu.

Meanwhile, police was put on a manhunt for Sonu, following which he was arrested. “Both the accused have been arrested and charged under for kidnapping, murder and destruction of evidence,” DCP Siriprolu said.