An Indian mother has been accused of brutally killing her own six-month-old baby by giving her an excessive dose of cough syrup and later dumping her body in a keg filled with water in Thane, Maharashtra, India.
On Thursday, December 23, the accused, identified as Shanta Chavan, allegedly gave an excessive dose of cough syrup to her six-month-old baby when he was not feeling well. However, the overdose was found to be fatal for the infant. The newborn baby died later that day. Chavan allegedly dumped the infant’s body in a container filled with water before approaching police and claiming his child was missing, The Times Of India reported.
“Based on our initial investigation, we found out that Chavan gave his baby an excessive dose of cough syrup on Thursday because he was not feeling well and coughed frequently. We believe this led to his death, ”said Deputy Police Commissioner Avinash Ambure.
After Chavan reported the disappearance of his child, law enforcement registered a kidnapping case and launched search operations. Officers examined CCTV footage of the neighborhood but found nothing suspicious.
After then searching the area around Chavan’s home, authorities found the infant’s body floating in a plastic barrel filled with water near the family home on Christmas morning, Saturday, December 25. The infant was quickly rushed to hospital, but doctors confirmed that the infant was already dead before being transported to the facility.
After officers interviewed the infant’s family members and neighbors, they learned the baby was sick and the newborn was under Chavan’s care. During his interrogation, Chavan would have hesitated several times before finally admitting his role in the death of his child.
“The woman told us that she was afraid of being berated by her family after the baby fell lifeless after consuming the syrup, so she concocted the story. We suspected something was wrong, and she admitted her crime during our questioning, ” a police official said.
As a result, Chavan was arrested for murder and destroying evidence.
The officer added that they were further investigating the case to find out the motive for the murder.
Chavan is said to have lived with her husband, a laborer by profession, and their three children, including the deceased in the slums of Mahatma Phule in Kalwa, Maharashtra, India.
.