Pathirivedu Police in Thiruvallur district on Thursday arrested a 27-year-old man on charges of murder after it was found that he conducted a botched-up surgery to remove the foetus from the womb of his 19-year-old girlfriend.
Police said the suspect is S. Soundar, 27, a native of Kammarpalayam near Gummidipoodi who was employed as an LPG cylinder delivery boy in the area. He and the young woman had reportedly been in love with each other for two years. The young woman was a second-year B. Com student in a college. The woman became pregnant but the couple could not get married as Soundar’s family was opposed to the match.
Police said the duo decided to remove the foetus since they believed it would be a hurdle to their marriage. The woman was seven months pregnant After watching a few YouTube videos on childbirth and delivery procedures, Soundar decided to conduct the surgery on his girlfriend and remove the foetus. She agreed to this, police added.
On Wednesday afternoon, Soundar took her in his bike to a cashew farm where he performed the surgery on her, guided by YouTube videos. In the botched up attempt, he broke the arm of the foetus, and the mother started bleeding, badly. He took her in his motorbike to the Government General Hospital, Ponneri, which is 25 km away from the village. She was then rushed in an ambulance to Government Raja Sir Ramaswamy Mudaliar Lying-in Hospital, Royapuram where she delivered a still-born child.
The youth who accompanied her was handed over to the police station inside the hospital premises. The young woman is said to be critically ill. A case has been registered and the parents of the two were also interrogated.
Tiruvallur District SP P. Aravindan said the man was arrested on charges of murder following a statement from the young woman. Further investigations are on.
