Pregnant woman booked for accidental murder of daughter

ON MONDAY, THE VIRAR POLICE REGISTERED A CASE OF MURDER

MUMBAI: In a freak incident, an accidental push by her sevenmonth pregnant mother led to the death of a two-year old girl in Virar on Saturday evening, said police.

According to police, the incident took place when Neha Soni, 30, was washing clothes. The two-year-old, Nansi, entered the bathroom, while her sibling, Ananya, 1, was playing in the hall alone. Neha warned Nansi to leave the bathroom, but as Nansi kept pestering her, Soni slapped her, said police. The child lost her balance and hit her head on the door of the bathroom, added police.

Her husband, Sonukumar, 32, an auto driver, was at work at the time of the incident, said police.

Soni and Sonukumar rushed Nansi to a private hospital, where the doctor declared her dead before arrival. The couple decided to bury the child at a civic crematorium, but as they had no death certificate from a registered doctor, locals alerted the Virar police, after which the incident came to light.

On Monday, the Virar police registered a case of murder. “We registered a case of accidental death and sent the body for post-mortem. The report arrived on Sunday, confirming the child’s neck bone was broken. We have registered a case of murder under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. We will arrest the accused after the funeral rituals are over,” said sub-inspector Changdev Handal of Virar police station.