A woman allegedly killed her one-year-old son by throwing him in a water tank following a dispute with her mother-in-law over the infant’s health issues in Maharashtra’s Thane district, police said on Thursday.
The incident took place at Kasane village near Vasind in Shahapur taluka on Wednesday and the Padgha police later arrested the woman, they said.
The child’s father, who worked as a security guard at a nearby godown, married the woman in 2022.
Last year, the couple’s son was born with a congenital illness and has been receiving treatment at the Wadia Hospital in Mumbai, an official from Padgha police station said.
The woman and her mother-in-law were frequently at odds over the child’s care and well-being.
On Tuesday, the child’s grandmother, concerned about his health, decided to take him to Titwala during a visit to her daughter.
However, the child developed a fever there and his grandmother brought him back to Kasane late Tuesday night, the official said.
Later, a heated argument took place between the child’s mother and grandmother over his health condition, he said.
The child’s father left for his night shift work after attempting to calm the situation.
When he returned on Wednesday morning, he briefly played with his son before falling asleep.
During this time, the child’s mother allegedly drowned him in a water tank located on the first floor of the house, the official said.
Later, when the man was unable to find his son, he began a search for him along with family members and friends.
In the meantime, the child’s mother approached police with a complaint, claiming her son had gone missing, the official said.
Her husband grew suspicious and confronted her. The woman then confessed to him that she had killed their child, he said.
The man subsequently contacted the Padgha police and filed a complaint.
The body was recovered and sent to a government hospital for post-mortem, police inspector Bala Kumbhar said.
The woman was taken into custody and booked for murder and other charges, he added.