Bengaluru woman arrested for boiling newborn alive after it ‘refused milk and cried nonstop’: Report

The Bengaluru woman is believed to have been battling postpartum depression.

A 27-year-old woman in Nelamangala near Bengaluru, has been arrested for allegedly killing her newborn by placing the infant in a vessel of boiling water, Deccan Herald reported.

The woman lit a stove, brought water to a boil in a cooking vessel, and then placed the infant into it. (Pixaby/Representational Image)

According to the report, the woman, identified as Radha, is believed to have been battling postpartum depression. The baby was born prematurely and had refused to feed since birth, often crying inconsolably. This led Radha to believe that the child was "not normal," police said.

The tragedy unfolded on Monday at her parents' house in Vishweshwarapura, where Radha had been staying alone for some time. Her husband, reportedly unemployed and struggling with alcoholism, had stopped visiting her, the report further added.

The police say Radha lit a stove, brought water to a boil in a cooking vessel, and then placed the infant into it. The baby died from the burns.

Police believe the woman's mental health condition may have played a significant role in the act. 

In a similar incident in May, Bengaluru police arrested a 43-year-old coffee planter from Karnataka’s Kodagu district for allegedly abandoning his two-week-old daughter in an auto-rickshaw at the Kengeri Satellite Bus Stand.

The accused, identified as P Appanna from Virajpet, reportedly left the premature baby inside a parked auto in the early hours of April 24. CCTV footage captured Appanna and his partner discreetly placing the infant, wrapped in cloth, in the vehicle’s backseat before walking away.

According to a report by The Indian Express, the baby girl, who was born with a cleft lip, was discovered around 5.50 am by a local resident, Rajasekhar Rao. Hearing the baby’s cries, Rao alerted the police, who then rushed her to Vani Vilas Hospital.

The infant was kept under medical care and placed in the custody of the Child Welfare Commission. Authorities had confirmed that she was stable.

Police say Appanna’s arrest came after a review of surveillance footage from the bus stand helped them track his movements and establish his identity. The motive behind the abandonment is under investigation.