3-Year-Old's Body Exhumed After Father Accuses Estranged Wife Of Murder

The father of a 3-year-old in India accused his estranged wife of killing their daughter after she buried the toddler without informing the man.

The police launched an investigation following the suspicious death of the child in the state of Andhra Pradesh. According to the police, the child was taken to the hospital Tuesday, where doctors were told she had a fever. The girl was, however, declared dead on arrival. The child's mother reportedly buried her immediately, according to media outlet The Hindu.

The mother, identified as Varalakshmi, informed her estranged husband about the death of their child only the next day, following which the man, identified as Ramesh Kumar, filed a complaint with the police alleging his estranged wife killed the child with the help of her lover.

Varalakshmi, who is in a live-in relationship with a man named Jagadeesh Reddy, was taken into custody. The child was living with the mother after she separated from her husband following several arguments. The girl was identified as Sindhu Sri, The Hindu reported. It was unclear why Varalakshmi buried her child without informing the deceased's father.

After the police launched an investigation, they exhumed the body of the child and sent it for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. The police have also registered a case under Section 174 of the CrPC (suspicious death), the Hans India reported.

In April, a newborn baby girl's body was exhumed after the police suspected the child may have been a victim of female infanticide. C. Kasthuri, 27, gave birth to the child on April 4 at a hospital in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, and left the next day with her husband, identified as 33-year-old Suriya, without informing the doctors. Later, the police learned the child died and was buried. Neighbors speculated the child may have been killed by the family as the couple already had two daughters and were desperate for a boy. Officials visited Kasthuri's house and asked them about the baby's cause of death. The family members claimed the baby died unexpectedly due to some illness. Health officials, who were not convinced by the family's answers, filed a complaint, and an investigation was launched into the death of the child.