Jhansi: In a heartbreaking incident, a mother who murdered her two-month-old daughter due to poverty in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi has been arrested, police said on Tuesday. The child's body was found in a drain behind the house 28 hours later by the Poonch police, probing the incident.
The incident came to light when the father of the infant sought the police help to trace his missing daughter. The mother kept who was giving contradicting accounts on her whereabouts at the time of crime. She broke down later during the interrogation admitting to the crime citing her poverty.
Senior Superintendent of Police Rajesh S said 112(emergency helpline) police received information that a two-month-old baby was missing from a house in Nayi Basti under the jurisdiction of Poonch police station on Sunday. "Acting on the complaint, the police immediately reached the spot and launched a search operation," he said.
About 28 hours later, on Monday, the infant's body was found in a drain behind the house, after which the police started questioning the family members including the mother. Investigations revealed that the mother and the infant were alone at the house when the incident occurred.
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The mother said she had gone out for some time on Sunday and she found the baby missing from the residence. She claimed that it could have been the handiwork of the cats from the thick forest adjoining her backyard. However, her stories fell flat after the lifeless corpse of the infant was fished out of the drain.
During questioning, the mother broke down and admitted to having killed the child. She threw the child in the drain as she felt she would not be able to nurture the child given their financial condition. She said that she was distressed about her child's future and well-being, Rajesh said. The police said the woman was arrested on Monday and the body of the child was sent for postmortem for further investigation. The mother was remanded to Judicial Custody by a court, police said.
