Kochi: A probe into the mysterious death of a one-and-a-half-month-old baby at Elamakkara here has found that the infant was murdered brutally by the mother’s boyfriend.

Police said the man has confessed to the crime. It is alleged that Shanif, a native of Chakarakal in Kannur, fatally struck the child's head with his knee. Kochi Police said Aswathi, the child's mother, was also involved in the murder. They said she did not stop the man's earlier attempts to kill the infant.

Aswathi and Shanif are in police custody and are being interrogated. They are likely to be arrested on Tuesday (December 5).

Shanif told the police that he had planned to kill the baby ever since its birth and had been waiting for an opportune moment, which prompted them to book a room in the lodge. Deliberate attempts were made to let the infant die naturally. After its birth, the child suffered severe abuse many times, resulting in injuries to its ribs. Their plan was to bring the baby to the hospital claiming that it had fallen from the bed, and then later insist the child had died of pneumonia.

As per the plan, they took a room at a lodge in Karukapally. They arrived at the Ernakulam General Hospital with the unconscious baby around 8:30 am on Sunday.

Initially, they told the doctors the child had choked on breastmilk. Later, they changed their story and said it had fallen from the bed. However, doctors, who detected injuries on the child's body, promptly reported it to the police. This proved to be a turning point in the case.

Aswathi and Shanif met on social media and subsequently fell in love. The police revealed that Aswathi was in a relationship with someone else and was four months pregnant when she met Shanif. They had quarrelled over the child too. The two have been living together in Kochi for the past one and a half years.