Woman kills newborn daughter, cites social stigma over fourth girl

During initial interrogation, the girl’s mother Shivani claimed that she had been discharged from the hospital the previous night and had returned to her parental home. She told the police that after feeding the baby around 2 am, she slept with the child next to her, but when she woke up at 4.30 am, the baby was missing, DCP Veer said. The police officer said that a team had been formed to check CCTV footage of the adjoining area and search nearby houses.

“While the search was underway, Shivani said she had to go to the hospital to get her stitches removed. This raised some suspicion, but due to her medical condition, the police let her go,” the DCP said.

Meanwhile, during the search, a bag was found on the roof of a neighboring house. When the police opened it, they found the baby, who was immediately taken to the hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead, Veer said.

According to the DCP, a police team was then sent to a hospital, bus stations and Shivani’s residence in Shahdara to trace her. When questioned, Shivani confessed to committing the crime.

Shivani revealed during the initial interrogation that the deceased was her fourth daughter, two of whom had already died. The accused cited social stigma as the reason for her actions, he said.

Overwhelmed by these thoughts while feeding the baby, Shivani strangled her daughter and then threw the body on the adjacent roof. She later claimed that the baby was missing as she was not sure what to tell her family, the DCP said.

Shivani has been arrested and a murder charge has been filed, Veer said.

Police are awaiting autopsy results to verify the suspect’s story and determine the exact cause of death, he added.