KOCHI: Murdered by his mother’s lover, the one-and-half-month-old infant is now orphaned in death as none has approached the police claiming its body even after five days since the murder at a lodge in Karukapilly, Kochi.
Though the police informed the child’s father as well as the mother’s relatives, none has agreed to give a proper burial to the child. The body is currently preserved at the mortuary in Ernakulam Medical College Hospital (MCH) in Kalamassery.
The police recently arrested the child’s mother Aswathy, 25, of Eramalloor, and Aswathy’s lover Sanif, 25, of Kannur, in connection with the murder. Sanif had kneed the child after informing Aswathy about his intention to kill it.
“The child’s body remains unclaimed,” said Mulavukad station house officer Manjith Lal. “We informed Aswathy’s relatives about the dead child. They did not turn up. We contacted the child’s father, the ex-boyfriend of Aswathy. He too denounced the infant. The body remains at the MCH,” Manjith said. Manjith said they would wait to see if anyone claims the body. “Usually, unclaimed bodies are preserved for a week. We will wait for some more days. If none turns up, we will request the Kalamassery municipality to dispose of the body. Such steps will be taken after the body is properly photographed and all evidence collected,” he said.
Meanwhile, the police will soon approach the court seeking the custody of Sanif and Aswathy. They will also collect DNA samples to confirm whether the child belonged to Aswathy and her ex-boyfriend.
A police official part of the probe said the accused persons have to be taken to various places for evidence collection. “We are looking to get Sanif’s custody by Monday. DNA samples of Awathy and her ex-boyfriend have to be collected to confirm parenthood. We are confident the chargesheet can be filed within the stipulated 90 days,” said the officer.
The police are also checking whether Sanif has any criminal history. For this, they will collect information from his native place and Bengaluru, where he worked.
“He is shy and introvert. After the child’s birth, he was not getting the expected care and love from Aswathy. He then managed to convince her that eliminating the child was crucial for their relationship,” said an officer.