Woman murders six-month-old daughter in Delhi, buries her in Ghaziabad

The woman, identified as Mussarrat, told police that she did not have money to get treatment for the baby so she decided to kill her

A 25-year-old woman was apprehended for killing her six-month-old daughter in Delhi and burying the body in Ghaziabad, police said on Sunday.

The baby, named Hidaya, was born with a head deformity said to be from a “tumour-like complication”, and suffered related ailments, said police. (Representational image)

The woman was turned in to police by her sister-in-law to whom she allegedly confessed about the murder in confidence, investigators said.

The baby, named Hidaya, was born with a head deformity said to be from a “tumour-like complication”, and suffered related ailments, said police.

The woman, identified as Mussarrat, told police that she did not have money to get treatment for the baby so she decided to kill her, said investigators.

“Mussarrat told us that she strangulated her daughter as she would often cry in pain and the doctors said that her recovery was difficult. She said that her family had no money to get regular treatment for the baby so she decided to murder her. She said that she murdered at her mother’s house in Delhi when other family members were away,” said Nimish Patil, deputy commissioner of police of the trans-Hindon zone.

Mussarrat is a resident of Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, said police. Last week she brought her baby to Delhi for treatment and was staying at her sister-in-law Azra’s house in Shalimar Garden, Ghaziabad, said police.

“On January 15, after visiting Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi, Mussarrat told Azra that she was taking her daughter to her mother’s house at Turkman Gate in Old Delhi. The next day, she returned to Ghaziabad with her daughter’s dead body and told Azra that the girl died due to an ailment. The body was buried in the cemetery in Shaheed Nagar,” said Saloni Agarwal, assistant commissioner of police of the Shalimar Garden circle.

Police said that Azra got suspicious about the girl’s untimely death and questioned Mussarrat after taking her into confidence.

“Mussarrat broke down and told Azra that she actually strangulated her daughter at her mother’s house and brought the body to Ghaziabad for burial. Azra went to Ghaziabad police late Friday night and gave a complaint. A zero FIR was registered at the Shalimar Garden police station, and the case will now be transferred to Delhi,” said ACP Agarwal.

A team of officers arrived at Azra’s house and took Mussarrat into custody. She will be formally arrested by the Delhi Police since the murder occurred in Delhi, said investigators.

Police said that they will exhume the girl’s body for an autopsy.

Police said that the dead girl was Mussarrat’s only child, born six years after her marriage.