After giving birth to 3rd baby girl, woman kills infant

Nashik: A woman was arrested for allegedly hitting her 10-day-old daughter with a blunt object and throttling her to death in Maharashtra's Nashik district, police said Monday.

The incident took place in Vrundavan Nagar area in Nashik's Adgaon locality on May 31, an official said, adding that preliminary probe had revealed the accused was distressed that she had given birth to a daughter for the third time.

"Accused Anuja Kale (26) bludgeoned her child Piyu with a blunt object and then choked her to death. Piyu was born ten days ago. The accused already has two daughters and was distressed after giving birth yet again to a girl child," an Adgaon police station official said.

He said the accused allegedly committed the crime on May 31 when her husband, Balasaheb Kale, was out of station.

"She had telephoned her husband after the incident and informed him that the infant was lying motionless. The child was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared her dead on arrival," he said.

Balasaheb, however, developed some doubts about the incident and on Sunday approached the police, the official informed.

"The child's post mortem was conducted in Nashik Civil Hospital which revealed that she was killed with a hit on the head and throttling. We questioned Anuja who confessed, following which we registered a case of murder on Sunday and arrested her," he said.