The body of a newborn child, believed to have been carried away by a monkey from its mother’s side at their house at Talabasta village in Odisha on Saturday morning, was found in a well a few metres away on Sunday.
The police and Forest Department personnel failed to trace the 16-day-old baby on Saturday. The family found the body floating in the 15-foot-deep well and retrieved it with the help of villagers. Witnesses said the body bore an injury mark.
After an inquest, the police sent the body to the Banki hospital for post-mortem. “We are waiting for the autopsy report to ascertain the cause of death of the baby, which had a premature birth under Caesarean section,” police officer Priyabrat Rout said.
A case of unnatural death was filed.
The villagers, headed by Ramakrushna Nayak, father of the baby, staged a protest in front of the Damapada forest range office, alleging negligence on the part of Forest Department staff in conducting the search, and demanding compensation for the family.
