Kolkata, Nov 25 A woman was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly drowning her three-month-old grandson in a pond in the Domjur area of Howrah district in West Bengal, the police said on Tuesday.
The shocking incident, which took place in the morning, has led to a police investigation to uncover the motive behind the fatal act, officials said.
A senior officer of Howrah Rural Police said that the accused, identified as Sarithi Banerjee, confessed to the crime during police interrogation. Sarithi said she had thrown her grandson into the water and killed him.
"It is not clear what prompted her to take such a heinous act. Attempts are on to find the motive behind this crime," the officer said, confirming her arrest.
According to the police, the child's father, Abhijit Banerjee, works night shifts. His wife, Moyna Banerjee, had brought her mother to Abhijit’s home so she would not have to spend the night alone with her newborn son.
On Sunday, Moyna and her mother went to her maternal home for some work. Later, Moyna returned with Abhijit’s mother, Sarithi, to look after the child. For the next two days, the three-month-old baby remained in the care of his paternal grandmother.
Moyna returned to Abhijit’s home on Tuesday morning after work and noticed that her child was not in bed. She panicked and cried out when she found the bed empty. Neighbours rushed to the house after hearing her, and a search for the child began at once.
Nearly an hour and a half later, the neighbours spotted the child's body floating in a nearby pond. Domjur police station was informed immediately. Police reached the spot, recovered the baby, and rushed him to Domjur Rural Hospital. Doctors declared the three-month-old dead on arrival.
After the incident, suspicion turned towards Sarithi, who reportedly looked after the child for two days.
Under pressure from Moyna and her neighbours, Sarithi admitted that she had thrown the child into the pond. The police arrested her, and an investigation is underway.
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