Alappuzha: Mother held for killing own baby

Alappuzha: Police on Sunday held the mother over the mysterious death of a one-and-half-year-old baby girl in Pattanakkad here.

It said the interrogation of Athira of Kollampally Colony was continuing till late evening but refused to divulge details.

The baby, Adhisha, was found dead at home on Saturday. The post-mortem report revealed that the death was due to suffocation. However, the motive is unclear.

The investigation began after doctors at Taluk Hospital Cherthala who checked up the body raised doubts about the reason for death. The parents failed to provide a convincing answer to queries of doctors who found no visible injuries.

The mother had told doctors she found the kid dead as she returned to the room where the baby fell asleep.

Meanwhile, the mother-in-law told police that she used to torture the child and was a strange character. The child was healthy until the incident. Police also said that Sharon, the father, had a criminal background. He was arrested last month for assaulting his mother-in-law.