Couple fought before woman threw baby, say cops

Woman’s in-laws claim they did not take her to hospital because they were unaware of her pregnancy

The police on Friday said a couple had had a heated argument before the wife allegedly threw their newborn from their 17th floor Kandivali apartment on Friday. Residents had found the baby’s body on a water tank. The police have registered a case of murder and abandonment against the baby’s mother.

An official said the woman claimed she killed the baby in anger. “A preliminary probe has indicated that a few hours before the woman had thrown the just-born baby girl, she had had a heated argument with her husband,” an official from the Kandivali police station said. “The couple would often argue over the husband’s suspected illicit affairs. The woman was also very upset with the fact that her husband would not support her financially in the care of their two children.”

The police have booked the woman (name withheld), under Sections 317 (exposure and abandonment of a child under twelve years, by parent or person having care of it) and 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code. “The woman is currently hospitalised as she is in need of medical attention post-delivery. Once her condition improves, we will arrest her and investigate further,” the officer said.

The woman lives in the flat with her husband, son, daughter and mother- in-law. He sister-in-law also lives in another flat in the same building.

On Thursday, the residents called the police soon after they found the baby’s body. The police began questioning the residents of the 24-storey building and narrowed down their suspicions on the woman’s flat. “When we made enquiries with the family members, we learnt that the woman had given birth to the baby at home on Thursday and had thrown the baby out of the toilet window. When we questioned the family about why the woman had not been admitted to the hospital for the delivery, the family claimed that they were not aware of her pregnancy.”