Young woman arrested for killing one-year-old son

The accused told police that she had killed her son owing to the challenging circumstances at home and to spare him from future suffering

THANE: A one-year-old boy who was born with a heart ailment was allegedly killed by his mother on Wednesday morning in Kasne village in Vasind. Apeksha Bhoy, the 22-year-old mother, was frustrated with her in-laws’ allegations regarding “giving birth to an unhealthy baby”; she was also upset over her mother-in-law handling the boy most of the time and confessed to killing him to spare him from future suffering, said police.

Young woman arrested for killing one-year-old son

The Bhoy family resides in Kasne village near Padgha and Sandesh, the deceased’s father, works as a security guard in the night shift at a nearby warehouse. Parth, his and Apeksha’s son, was born with a heart ailment a year ago and was undergoing treatment at Wadia Hospital in Mumbai. This led to frequent disputes between Apeksha and her mother-in-law, who often blamed the former for giving birth to a sick child.

On Tuesday, Apeksha’s grandmother and Parth’s grandmother took him to her daughter’s house in Titwala. But the boy developed a fever soon, likely because of the change in the environment. Concerned, his grandmother returned to Kasne with him the same night, following which another argument ensued between his grandmother and mother over his worsening health.

On Wednesday morning, the Padgha police was informed that a one-year-old boy had been found dead in a water tank. His mother initially claimed that her son had gone missing and an outsider was responsible for his death, but the police team led by inspector Bala Kumbhar and including women personnel persisted with questioning her. Once they gained her confidence, she broke down and confessed to the crime, said police.

“On Wednesday morning, while Sandesh was asleep after returning from his night shift, Apeksha took advantage of the situation and threw Parth in a 5,000-litre water tank on the first floor of the house,” said an officer from Padgha Police station.

Apeksha told police that she had killed her son owing to the challenging circumstances at home and to spare him from future suffering. She has been arrested under sections 103 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.