The Cumbummettu police in Idukki on Friday arrested a migrant couple on charge of strangling their newborn just hours after its birth. The arrested were Madhya Pradesh natives Sadhuram, 23, and Malathi, 21, who were in a live-in relationship. According to Cumbummettu station house officer (SHO) V.S. Anilkumar, the incident took place at Santhipuram near Cumbummettu on May 7 night.
According to the police, the child was born by 12.30 a.m. on May 7 and the couple immediately strangled the baby boy. They told their house owner that the baby was stillborn. The house owner immediately alerted the Health department officials, who shifted the newborn to the Nedumkandam taluk hospital, where the doctor confirmed the baby’s death.
Doubts after autopsy
However, during autopsy, it was revealed that the baby was strangled to death. After an interrogation, Sadhuram and Malathi confessed to the crime. Mr. Anilkumar said Sadhuram had been working in cardamom plantations for the past three years. “The girl reached Kerala on March 9. The couple were not married and were in a relationship for some time. He introduced Malathi to other workers as her wife,“ said Mr. Anilkumar.
The official said the accused confessed that they had committed the crime fearing their families’ wrath over pregnancy before marriage. “Their wedding was to held next month in their village. Since she got pregnant before marriage, they could not return to their native place,” said Mr. Anilkumar.
The accused were produced before the First Class Judicial Magistrate Court at Nedumkandam on Friday evening.
