Woman held for killing 6-year-old daughter over desire for son

In Navi Mumbai, a mother suffocated her six-year-old daughter, Mansi, due to her desire for a son, leading to her arrest for murder.

NAVI MUMBAI: Three days after a six-year-old girl was found dead at her residence in Kalamboli on Tuesday, the police’s investigation revealed that the child’s mother had suffocated her to death. The mother reportedly wanted a son and had tried multiple times to harm the child, the police said.

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According to the police, the incident took place on Tuesday night when the girl Mansi’s father, a software engineer, returned home from work and found her laying in bed with her mother, Her mother, Supriya Pramod Mhamunkar, 30, a BSc graduate and homemaker. He initially thought she had gone to sleep. “It was unusual as the child always stayed awake to greet him. When he checked on her, she did not respond,” said a police officer.

Mansi was then rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was declared dead. Following this, the police registered an accidental death report (ADR) and sent her body for post-mortem examination. The report revealed that there was redness around the child’s nose and mouth, and the death was due to suffocation.

Subsequently, the police converted the ADR into a murder case and registered an offence under Section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Further investigation revealed that Supriya, who wanted a male child, killed Mansi. She was arrested in the early hours of Friday and produced in a court that remanded her in police custody till Monday.

“She pressed the child’s nose and mouth and applied force on her chest and abdomen, causing suffocation,” the officer said.

The police said that Supriya reportedly harboured resentment towards the child, as she had wanted a son. “There is evidence to suggest that she was unhappy with the child since birth. She had repeatedly expressed a desire for a son. She also had a major problem with Mansi not being able to converse in Marathi properly,” said Rajendra Kote, senior inspector of Kalamboli police.

The police’s investigation has also revealed that Supriya had attempted to harm the child multiple times, with the first such incident dating back to 2019. Statements of several witnesses, including the child’s father, grandparents and tuition teacher, have been recorded, the police said.