Depressed mom drowns newborn in water pot in Bengaluru | Bengaluru News
Bengaluru: A mother killed her newborn Sunday midnight due to post-partum depression and financial problems. She drowned the newborn in a water pot while her family members were asleep.The deceased is Hemanth Kumar, a 38-day-old baby, while the accused mother is Radha Mani, 25, a homemaker residing in Visveswarapura in Nelamangala on the outskirts of Bengaluru.Based on preliminary investigation, police said Radha was sleeping in her mother’s home opposite her own residence Sunday night. She was in that house with Hemanth, her mother Renukamma and elder brother, a specially abled person. Radha took the baby from the swing cradle when he was asleep around 11.30pm and went to the bathroom outside the house. She held the baby by his legs, dipped his face in the water pot in the bathroom for a couple of minutes, and left the infant in the pot.Radha returned to the house and slept in the hall. Renukamma woke up around 4am and didn’t find the baby in the swing. Alarmed, she woke up Radha and her son and started searching for Hemanth. The neighbours also woke up on hearing cries of the family. After a few minutes, one of the neighbours suggested they check the water pot, and they found the baby’s body floating in it.Residents took Hemanth’s body out of the pot, hoping he might be alive. But he was dead by then. Radha’s painter-husband, Pavan, was sleeping in an autorickshaw. Residents woke him up and informed him about the death of his son.Mother concocted story: PoliceA senior police officer said residents alerted them about the boy’s death. When they reached the spot, they found Hemanth’s body kept in front of Pavan’s house. Radha told police around 1am, two persons barged into the house and tried to kill her by smothering her with a pillow. When she fell unconscious, they took the baby and put him in the water pot.Contradicting Radha’s statement, her elder brother told police he’d locked the main door before going to sleep, and when his mother woke him up, the door was still locked. He told police there was no possibility of outsiders entering the house. Cops then realised Radha was lying and subjected her to questioning, and she confessed to killing her child.Health issuesRadha is suffering from multiple health issues, including thyroid problems, police said. Her husband is an alcoholic, who spent most of his earnings on alcohol and didn’t take care of her and Hemanth, the family said. Radha appeared to be depressed over her financial status and her husband, and felt raising a child alone would be difficult, the police officer said.A case was registered against Radha based on Pavan’s complaint. She has been sent to judicial custody.
