Father is held after baby dies in ‘hammer attack’ on twins
A FATHER of twin babies was arrested last night after one was killed and the other critically injured in a suspected hammer attack.
Hotel worker Bidhya Sagar Das allegedly vanished shortly before police and ambulance crews arrived at the flat where the latenight horror unfolded.
Scotland Yard said Das was arrested in the Hackney area of London at 7.15pm yesterday. He was taken to an east London police station.
Neighbours had heard screams coming from the top-floor property which Das, 33, shared with his partner and their two oneyear-olds.
They said the distraught mother later ran into the street in Finsbury Park, north London, crying: “My kids, my kids.” Scotland Mihai Menea described ‘screams’ Yard said the boy was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at hospital and his sister remained in a critical condition last night.
Officers declined to name the victims or their mother but it is understood she is a Romanian migrant who worked at the same hotel as her Indian-born partner.
Detective Chief Inspector Dave Whellams, of the Metropolitan Police, said: “This is clearly a tragic incident, and our thoughts are with the family of the two young children.
“Despite the best efforts of medical professionals a baby boy sadly died in the early hours of this morning. A baby girl currently remains in a critical condition and is receiving specialist medical care.
“Whilst we remain in the early stages of the investigation, a man has now been arrested.”
Police were called at 11pm on Saturday to a house which is owned by the nearby Pembury Hotel and divided into flats to house its workers.
Mihai Menea, 29, who lives in the house and works at the hotel, said: “A neighbour heard the woman screaming in the street and went up to the room.
“He went into the house but the boy was already dead when he found him. The father was a calm guy. I saw him on Saturday.
“I couldn’t imagine something like this happening here in a million years.” It was understood that Das had worked at the hotel as a night receptionist for the past seven years but resigned suddenly at the weekend.
A neighbour from across the road added: “I heard a woman, and she was shouting in the street. I said what has happened, and she just shouted ‘My kids, my kids’.
“I don’t know her but I have seen her around. I saw the police and the ambulance come to take out the babies.”