ANGUL: Shockwaves spread in Angul after a woman reportedly killed her four-month-old twins by throwing them into a well at Mundadhipa Sahi in Basala village within Bantala police limits on Wednesday evening.
The accused mother, 30-year-old Tapaswini Sahoo, was arrested by police on the basis of the complaint lodged by her husband Sunil Sahoo on Thursday. Police sources said she was reportedly suffering from postpartum depression.
Sunil, who runs a chicken centre in the area, had married Tapaswini 10 years back. Four months back, Tapaswini gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl.
After sundown on Wednesday, Tapaswini took her twins and threw them into a well near her house for unknown reasons. When family members could not find the babies, they launched a frantic search but to no avail. On being questioned, Tapaswini feigned ignorance and said she was away visiting a neighbour’s house in the evening. Nobody doubted Tapaswini as she too joined the search for her babies.
Later, some villagers searched the local well and to their shock, found the twins inside. The babies were rushed to the community health centre at Banatala where the doctor declared them dead.
In the night, Tapaswini confessed before her husband that she had thrown the twins into the well.
On Thursday morning, Sunil lodged a complaint in Bantala police station. Basing on the FIR, Angul sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) RK Mahalik and IIC Sangita Mohapatra rushed to the village and Tapaswini was taken into custody.
Sources said during interrogation, the accused mother told police that she was having a mental health crisis after giving birth to the twins. She did not realise what she was doing due to postpartum anxiety.
The SDPO said the accused woman seemed to be have mental health problem. However, she was arrested and produced in court on murder charge.