22-yr-old mom held in suspected case of female infanticide in Kovai

According to police, the accused Vinitha (22) had strangulated and slit the throat of the baby. The baby was wrapped in a cloth and packed in a bag, before being dumped into a garbage bin.

However, the mother cooked up a drama that the infant was kidnapped by someone, while she was taking bath at her house.

Her husband Karthik (26), a native of Dindigul and working in a rubber factory in Saravanampatty, was away at work when the incident happened. After preliminary inquiries, police believe that Karthik did not have a role in the murder.

The couple have a two-year-old daughter. “Vinitha was desperate for a boy child. She became upset and slipped into depression after delivering another girl,” police said.

The ‘drama’ enacted by Vinitha happened around 3 pm, when she informed her neighbours about her missing baby. She told them that she had left her child in the cradle to have her bath.

Vinitha said she returned to find the baby missing, while the bureau remained open with Rs 500 and few clothes missing. Since she raised a suspicion of kidnap, many people launched a hunt for kidnappers in the neighbourhood.

On information, a police team from Saravanampatty arrived at the spot. They grew suspicious as Vinitha gave contradictory replies. On being grilled further, she finally spilled the beans.

Police retrieved the body of the girl baby and sent it for post-mortem examination at the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH).

Vinitha was arrested on charges of murder, while Karthik, who claims to be ignorant of his wife’s act, is being questioned by the police. Further investigations are underway.