A 28-year-old man was arrested on Thursday for allegedly killing his infant daughter by throwing her into an underground water sump at his home in Chikkaballapur district, police said on Thursday, adding that they are examining whether the gender of the second child was a factor in the case.
According to police, the infant’s body was recovered on Thursday after relatives searched the house and eventually drained the water from the sump inside the property. The arrested accused has been identified as M Imran, police said.
Chikkaballapur Town circle inspector Ranjan Kumar said that suspicion fell on the father after preliminary inquiry. “We received information about the death of a newborn baby and immediately rushed to the spot. During the preliminary inquiry, suspicion fell on the father. Based on the evidence collected and his statements, we have taken him into custody. A murder case has been registered, and we are investigating all aspects of the incident,” he said.
According to investigators, Imran and his wife, Muskan, had welcomed their second child less than two weeks ago. Preliminary findings indicate that the father had allegedly hoped for a son and was unhappy that the baby was a girl, police said.
Police allege that during the early hours of Thursday, while other members of the family were asleep, the accused removed the infant from her bed and threw her into the underground water sump within the house premises.
{{/usCountry}}Police allege that during the early hours of Thursday, while other members of the family were asleep, the accused removed the infant from her bed and threw her into the underground water sump within the house premises.
{{/usCountry}}When the child’s mother awoke and realised the baby was missing, she questioned her husband, investigators said. Police said that he denied knowing where the infant was and joined relatives in searching for the child.
As the search produced no results, family members began to suspect the underground water sump. After draining the water, they found the infant’s body inside and alerted the police.
Officers from the Chikkaballapur Town Police Station arrived at the house, carried out a preliminary investigation and sent the body for post mortem examination.
Police said they are also questioning relatives and neighbours to determine whether there had been earlier disputes within the family or indications of gender bias. The investigation remains ongoing.