Alappuzha: Mystery is looming over the death of a two-day-old newborn who was found buried on an abandoned plot in Thakazhi here on Sunday. The post-mortem report of the infant failed to determine whether the child was killed or was stillborn, police said on Monday. Police have exhumed the body and arrested the child's mother and boyfriend over suspected murder. The accused are Poochackal resident Donna (22) and Thakazhi resident Thomas (24).

A senior police official from the district said the body was decomposed, and it was difficult to ascertain the cause of the death. The probe team is planning to conduct an examination of the baby's internal organs to confirm the cause of death.

Police, however, said the male accused claimed that the child was not alive when he received the body before burying it. But, the doctor who treated Dona at a private hospital in Ernakulam told police that the infant had cried after delivery. In a statement to the police, the doctor said that Dona had revealed the matter while undergoing treatment. 

According to police, Dona had handed over the baby to her boyfriend Thomas and his friend Ashok minutes after the delivery. There are no hints on breastfeeding the baby. The probe team assumed that the woman might have hidden the child on the terrace of the house. Later, she wrapped the child in a plastic bag and handed it over to Thomas. Though Dona claimed that the baby was alive, Thomas told police that he only received a dead body.

Observing the contradictory statements, the probe team is planning to interrogate both accused together. Dona who is currently in hospital will be discharged soon. Following this, the police will initiate action for a detailed interrogation. 

Police have registered a case under Sections 91 (Act done with intent to prevent a child being born alive or to cause it to die after birth), 93 (Exposure and abandonment of child under twelve years of age, by parent or person having care of it) and 94 (Concealment of birth by secret disposal of dead body) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The police have also recorded the arrest of Thomas' accomplice Ashok Joseph.

According to the police, the woman gave birth to the child on August 7. The incident came to light on August 10, when the woman reached a private hospital in Kochi seeking treatment. Police said the woman had told the hospital authorities that her child was abandoned at an 'Ammathottil' centre in Alappuzha. Ammathottil is an initiative of the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare (KSCCW), which provides cradle centres across the state where children can be left instead of abandoning them on the wayside or in other insecure places.

"The hospital authorities informed us and we found that her statement was contradictory. Later, we took her friends into custody," police had said.
(with PTI inputs)