Bikaner woman arrested for allegedly strangling newborn hours after birth

She allegedly strangled her newborn son just five hours after he was born at a government hospital in Rajasthan’s Bikaner

Bikaner: A 40-year-old woman was arrested on Saturday for allegedly strangling her newborn son just hours after he was born at a government hospital in Rajasthan’s Bikaner on Friday morning, police said.

The couple, married for 24 years, already have four children — two sons and two daughters — and had been struggling financially (Representative photo)

The mother, Guddi Devi, a resident of Ajitsar village, delivered a healthy baby boy around 11pm on Thursday, Station House Officer (SHO) of Kotwali police station Sukhram Chotia said.

According to a police complaint lodged by Guddi’s elder sister, Maina Devi, Guddi, already a mother of four children, became distressed shortly after the birth due to severe financial hardship and her inability to care for another child.

Police suspect the infant was strangled sometime between 2am and 4am in the maternity ward while other family members were asleep. “The baby was discovered motionless the following morning by Maina Devi, who noticed visible marks on the infant’s neck. Doctors pronounced the child dead upon examination,” an officer said.

In her complaint, Maina said that Guddi had been under prolonged mental and emotional strain. Her husband, Tara Chand (around 50), had suffered a brain haemorrhage, leaving him paralysed and bedridden. The couple, married for 24 years, already have four children — two sons and two daughters — and had been struggling financially.

SHO Chotia said the postmortem confirmed that the infant was strangled and a murder case has been registered against Guddi Devi. “She is currently undergoing treatment and will be arrested once discharged,” he said.