IDUKKI: The death of a newborn in Idukki’s Cumbummettu on May 7 has turned out to be a case of murder. The Cumbummettu police have arrested the child’s parents — both migrant labourers — for strangling the baby to death.
The duo — Madhya Pradesh natives Sadhuram and Malathi —killed the child fearing social stigma as they were not married, the police said.
As per sources with the police, Sadhuram and Malathi came to Cumbummettu around six months ago to work in a plantation. Malathi was pregnant and the duo had told everyone that they were married. On May 7, Malathi gave birth to a child.
But the couple told the neighbours that the child died during delivery inside the toilet of their house. As the local residents felt suspicious about the duo’s statements, they informed the matter to the police and health workers.
The postmortem report stated the death as unnatural as there were injuries and nail marks on the neck of the child. During a detailed interrogation, the duo confessed to the crime. The couple told the police that they strangled the baby to death after taking the child to the toilet.
Sadhuram was taken into custody by the police on Friday. The woman has been admitted to a hospital at Nedumkandam for treatment.