Thiruvananthapuram, 07 April (H.S):

A 23-year-old woman has been booked by the police after her newborn baby was found dead under suspicious circumstances at her residence in the city. The police have alleged that the infant was suffocated to death in an attempt to conceal the delivery from family members.

According to officials, the incident came to light on Sunday morning at a house in Mandapamkadavu, Poozhanadu. The accused, identified as Shamna, had reportedly given birth in her bedroom without informing her family. It is suspected that she attempted to hide the childbirth and subsequently killed the baby.

A post-mortem examination confirmed that the cause of death was suffocation. Doctors also noted injuries on the infant’s neck, which raised suspicion and prompted hospital authorities to alert the police.

Shamna, who is currently undergoing treatment at SAT Hospital, is yet to be formally questioned. Police officials stated that further details about the incident would emerge only after her interrogation.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Shamna had concealed her second pregnancy from her family. She already has a two-year-old child. Her husband, Altaf Shan, a butcher and autorickshaw driver, returned home after work on Easter morning and found her lying in the bedroom in a pool of blood. When questioned, she reportedly told him she was suffering from abdominal pain.

As arrangements were being made to take her to the hospital, a relative who entered the room to collect clothes discovered the newborn wrapped in cloth and hidden under the bed. Both the mother and the baby were rushed to the hospital, but the infant was declared dead on arrival.

The baby’s body was later handed over to relatives after the post-mortem and has since been buried. Police have registered a case and are continuing their investigation.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman