A Kasaragod woman, the mother of the newborn who was found dead at Badiyadukka last month, was arrested by the Kerala Police on Wednesday on charges of murder.

The woman, identified as Shahina, reportedly confessed that she had strangled the newborn with an earphone cable soon after giving birth.

Shahina is married to Shafi, who hails from Chedekkalil.

According to the police, Shahina killed the baby on December 15, 2020, fearing ridicule over giving birth to a second child months after her first baby was born.

That day, Shahina had been admitted to a nearby hospital following excessive bleeding. After the doctor there informed relatives that Shahina’s condition was caused due to a delivery, they searched her house and premises. The body of the newborn was soon found concealed in a cloth beneath the cot.

It is learnt that Shahina had kept her husband, who works at a private in Ernakulam, and his relatives in the dark about her pregnancy. Meanwhile, neighbours said that there were no marital issues between Shahina and Shafi, who were married three years ago.

Incidentally, another woman was also arrested at Badiyadukka a couple of days ago over the murder of her one-and-a-half-year-old child.