2-Week-Old Baby Dies After Mother Allegedly Throws Her Into Water Tank To Please Husband

A woman in Egypt was arrested Thursday for allegedly killing her 2-week-old baby by throwing her into a water tank to please her husband who did not want a girl child.

The incident occurred in Abu Al Matamir town in the Nile Delta in Egypt. Authorities said a health inspector raised concerns about the death of the infant, who had already been buried after her mother claimed she died of natural causes, the Gulf News reported. The Abu Al Matamir police station then contacted the El Beheira Security Department over the issue.

The Abu Al Matamir prosecutor ordered the exhumation of the infant's body three days after her burial to conduct an autopsy that could help determine the exact cause of death. Based on the report, a team of detectives led by Maj. Gen. Mohamed Shaarawy, Director of the Criminal Investigation Department, concluded that the death of the infant was a homicide.

The child's mother was taken into custody, and during interrogation she confessed to killing the baby. The woman said she threw her daughter alive into the water tank on the roof of her house and saw her die, Newsbeezer reported.

The exact date of the crime has not been revealed. The charges placed against the woman are yet to be made public.

The preference for a male child over a female one is still deeply entrenched in several parts of the world. Female infanticide is a major cause of concern in several nations with India having the highest incidents in the world, according to reports.

In April, a body of newborn baby girl was exhumed after the police suspected the child may have been a victim of female infanticide. The incident took place in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In this case, a woman gave birth to a female child and left the hospital the following day without informing the doctors. A few days later, the child died and the family buried the body without informing authorities. Neighbors, who suspected foul play, informed the police, who were told the family was desperate for a boy as they already had two daughters. The family members claimed the newborn baby died unexpectedly due to some illness. However, the health officials were not convinced.