‘Mentally ill’ woman in Delhi slit throat, chopped body of eight-month-old son

The incident happened late last night, when the baby boy was with his mother. His two sisters, aged seven and two, were at their grandfather’s residence, the police said. The boy’s father was out for work

A mentally disturbed woman allegedly decapitated her eight-month-old son before inflicting multiple injuries on herself at their home in outer Delhi’s Aman Vihar early on Friday, the police said.

Closeup of a newborn baby boy's feet held in his mother's hands (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Arrested from the crime scene, the 29-year-old woman was hospitalised for treatment of her injuries and mental health. “The woman is semi-conscious and we haven’t been able to speak to her, but she has been violent even at the hospital,” said MN Tiwari, deputy commissioner of police (outer Delhi).

The toddler’s killing has also prompted her husband and other relatives to suspect that the seemingly natural death of another son of the couple four years ago too was murder. The DCP said he could “neither confirm, nor deny” this.

The immediate trigger for the toddler’s murder is unclear, said DCP Tiwari.

“She was undergoing treatment for mental illness at Lady Hardinge Hospital, but did not display violent behaviour with her three children,” the officer said, based on an initial interaction with her family.

Her husband said there had been no recent family quarrels to prompt the violence.

“But she would often behave erratically and turn aggressive if I pressured her to perform household chores. But there was no such incident over the last few days,” he said.

The couple lived with their three children in a multi-storey building they own. Their two daughters, aged seven and two, mostly stay with their grandparents in the same neighbourhood.

On Thursday night, the woman and her son were alone at home. Her husband was away at the local flea market where he sells clothes.

The crime came to light when he returned home around 1.30 am. When repeated knocks went unanswered, he kicked open the door.

“My son’s head was lying on the floor and his torso was on the bed. My wife was unconscious and was resting her head on my child’s chest,” he said.

The woman was in a subconscious state when the police took her away. She did not speak a word, a relative said.