A 19-year-old woman was arrested on charges of murdering her one-month-old child during the early hours of Monday.
The woman committed the crime out of anger as she suspected her husband of having an affair, the police said.
According to the police, Vengal Rao works as a watchman in Diamond Palace, a five-storied apartment complex on Mookathal Street in Purasawalkam. There are ten families residing in the complex, which houses a garment shop on the ground floor.
Vengal Rao and his family reside in a small room, a few feet away from the entrance of the complex. A year ago, his daughter Ramya (19) got married to Babu who is a construction labourer in the city. He used to stay with her on days when he was off from work. “He was a quiet guy and was not the troublesome kind,” said a resident of the complex.
The residents expressed the same opinion about Vengal Rao and Ramya. “Vengal Rao has been working as a watchman here for the past five years,” said the resident.
On January 28, Ramya gave birth to a baby girl, who was fondly called Arsha.
“A few days back, Vengal Rao and Babu left for Warangal as they had taken a vow to visit their family temple after the birth of the baby. As Ramya was alone at home, her aunt Bakiyam offered to stay with her for company,” said K. Krishnamoorthy, assistant commissioner of police, Vepery.
At around 12.30 a.m, on Monday, Ramya strangulated her child to death with a cloth, the police said. She then took the baby, dumped the body in an unused washing machine kept in the parking area, and poured water into the machine.
“A resident who had gone to Tirupati reached the complex at around 2 a.m. Ramya told him the baby was missing. They searched everywhere but could not find the baby,” said a resident.
At around 2.30 a.m., residents heard women wailing and rushed down. “The body of the baby was found in the washing machine. The Vepery police were informed about the incident,” said a resident.
Ramya was taken for interrogation and forensic department officers took finger prints off the machine. During interrogation Ramya confessed to having committed the crime. “Only after committing the crime did she realise what she had done. She has been remanded,” said Mr. Krishnamoorthy.
