A 22-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the alleged murder of his 11-month-old daughter after forensic evidence contradicted her parents’ account, police said Tuesday.
Responding to allegations spread on social media that the parents were falsely implicated, Saidulu Adavat, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Whitefield Division, said the investigation was built on medical and circumstantial evidence rather than the family’s initial version of events.
“The case has been registered on the basis of post-mortem findings and circumstantial evidence,” Adavath said.
The Avalalahalli police arrested the 22-year-old tractor driver on Monday in connection with the June 9 death at Kethaganur village in Bidarahalli Hubli on the eastern outskirts of Bengaluru. His wife, who is also under investigation, has not been traced despite police notices directing her to appear for questioning. Police said she was believed to be with their one-and-a-half-year-old son.
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Investigation details
The investigation began as an unnatural death report after the parents told police the infant had slipped from the crib while breastfeeding and was fatally injured. The body was sent for post-mortem examination.
According to investigators, the medical report, which was received on June 22, found multiple external injuries and damage to internal organs, and concluded that the child died of severe bleeding and respiratory failure.
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A case of murder has been registered
The results prompted the police to register a murder case.
“The autopsy showed several external injuries as well as trauma to the infant’s internal organs. During the investigation, we interrogated both parents, but did not explain how the child sustained these injuries. The father was arrested after examining the medical evidence, eyewitness statements and other circumstantial materials collected during the investigation,” the investigating officer said.
Police allege that the fatal assault occurred during a heated argument between the couple inside a shed between 2pm and 3pm on June 9.
Investigators said the dispute began after the man returned home and asked his wife to give him food. As the dispute escalated, the baby began to cry. The mother allegedly kicked the child, after which the father assaulted his wife. Police said that during the quarrel, the child got between them and the father picked her up and threw her out of the shed. She was later transferred to a private hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
“Both of them, in a fit of anger, violently kicked the infant and threw him to the ground despite knowing that this might lead to the child’s death,” an officer said.
Another investigating officer said the investigation pointed to deliberate violence and not just an accident.
“The investigation indicated that the child’s death may have been due to such actions and that the infant was killed intentionally,” the officer said.
Police said witness statements described frequent fights between the couple.
