Navsari (Gujarat): The Navsari police on Thursday arrested a couple in an illicit relationship for killing their own 6-months-old child in the Vansda village here. The matter came to light after the the baby was found lying dead near the Juj dam in the village vicinity.
The accused identified as Vinod (36) and Sulochana had the child from an extramarital affair with each other, and decided to kill it to destroy the evidence of their immoral relationship, police said. With no leads to start the investigation with, the Navsari police sought help from village Anganwadi authorities, cyber cell and local people.
They conducted the post mortem of the six-months-old child, and asked the Anganwadis in the area to get the details of all couples that had a child in the last 6 months. The Anganwadi flagged a couple in the Khata Amba village that had a child from an illicit relationship. The authorities there informed the police that the father Vinod was married to another woman, but had a boy child with woman named Sulochana -- who was also married to someone else.
Acting on these inputs, the police detained Vinod based on suspicion. During interrogation, he confessed to the crime. Sulochana too was taken into custody soon thereafter.
As informed by DYSP Navsari SK Rai, Vinod worked as a driver in the Khata Amba village. Five years ago, he fell in love with Sulochana, a resident of Dharampur, living separately from her husband. Sulochana got pregnant last year during the course of her affair with Vinod.
Also read: Tamil Nadu Army jawan murder case:No political angle to the murder, says SP
"Sulochana then started living as Vinod's wife in Mandvi village near Surat, so no-one finds about her pregnancy in the village. She gave birth to a child on November 19, 2022. Soon after the birth, the couple decided to kill the child so that their affair stays hidden," the DYSP informed, adding that Vinod hatched out a plan to execute the crime.
Vinod took the child to Juj dam in the area and suffocated it to death, the official said. "He then packed the child in a bag and filled it with heavy stones so it sinks down. But as he threw the bag into water, it opened, leaving the corpse of the child floating in the water. The body reached the shore and was spotted by locals, who alerted the police," he added.
With about 15 teams in place, the police conducted a thorough investigation in several villages including Surat, Vapi, Valsad, Saputara and Dang. A case has been registered under Sections 302, 201, and 120 of the IPC. The accused have confessed to the crime, and are currently under arrest.
