BALASORE: Police on Friday launched a probe into the death of a newborn girl who was allegedly thrown into a pond by her parents at Rajnagar village in Raibania area here.
The parents, Debu Nayak and his wife Subhadra, have been detained by police and are being interrogated.
Police sources said Subhadra gave birth to a baby girl on June 16. After three days, she and her husband allegedly threw the newborn into a pond located on the property of their neighbour Kalia Nayak. Later, they retrieved the body and buried it near their house.
When villagers got to now about the incident, they convened a meeting on June 25. During the meeting, Debu reportedly misbehaved with the village elders. Subsequently, a villager, Dillip Das, lodged a complaint against the couple in Raibania police station.
Basing on the compliant, a case was registered and a sub-inspector was asked to conduct the investigation. Debu and Subhadra have been detained for questioning, said police.
Interestingly, there is no official record of Subhadra’s pregnancy or the birth of the baby girl at any hospital or anganwadi centre. Moreover, police excavated the site where the couple claimed to have buried their baby, but could not find the body.
Police said the couple is changing their statements multiple times, and the absence of any government record regarding the baby’s birth combined with the missing body has made the case complicated.
Sub-divisional police officer of Jaleswar Manas Deo said investigation is underway and the truth behind the incident will be uncovered soon.