Death of newborn in Alappuzha, baby girl was buried after death, says statement

ALAPPUZHA: More information surface after the woman’s lover and his friend were arrested in the incident of burying a newborn baby girl in Thakazhi. Her lover told police that the baby was handed over to him after her death. The woman gave birth to the baby on August 7 at 1.30 am at her home in Poochakkal. Soon, she called her lover Thomas Joseph and handed over the baby.

She handed over the baby to Thomas Joseph and his friend Ashok Joseph on August 8. She covered the baby with a cloth and then handed over the baby to him in a plastic cover. Thomas told police that the baby was motionless then. Thomas Joseph then carried the baby on his bike and went straight to Ashok Joseph’s house in Kunnamma and then the two buried the baby in a bund in the middle of a paddy field one and a half kilometres away.

The woman was taken to a private hospital in Ernakulam by her family after she collapsed following bleeding. The woman undergoing treatment is in police custody. The woman doing her interns after studying forensic science met the youth who had completed his hotel management course, via Instagram. The woman got pregnant at a time when they were to get married with the consent of their families. Both the families were not aware of her pregnancy.

The accused were arrested under the Juvenile Justice Act 75 and Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita 93, 3 (5). District Police Chief Chaitra Teresa John said they suspect that the baby may have been killed and buried, but it will be clear only after the post-mortem today.

The police team led by district police chief recovered the body buried in the bund of the paddy field in Thakazhi based on the statement of Thomas Joseph. After completing the inquest proceedings, the body was taken to Alappuzha Medical College for the postmortem.