Chennai: Mother arrested for throwing infant from terrace, staging accidental death

CHENNAI: The 25-year-old woman, who allegedly threw her infant daughter off the terrace of her home and staged it as an accident, has been arrested.

The case came to light when Arun (33), an Injambakkam resident, filed a complaint suspecting the version of the accident his wife, Bharathi (25), told him. According to his complaint, the couple had twin daughters approximately 49 days ago. He noticed one of the babies missing when he returned from work on Tuesday and, upon searching, found the child among the bushes. He stated that Bharathi claimed she had been carrying the baby on the terrace when the baby slipped and fell to her death.

Initially registered as a case of unnatural death, a detailed investigation by the inspector of Neelankarai police station revealed a disturbing sequence of events. The babies were prematurely born at 37 weeks, and one of them had severe health complications despite medical treatment.

Investigators concluded that the new mother was overwhelmed by the twins' crying and the challenges of caring for them, particularly for the ailing child. She committed the alleged act under heavy mental distress and fabricated the story of an accidental fall, they concluded.

Based on this evidence, police reclassified the case from unnatural death to murder under the relevant BNS section. Bharathi was subsequently arrested from their Injambakkam residence. She was produced before a magistrate for judicial remand after police questioning.