5-Year-Old Child's Body Found Floating In Pond By Aunt, Mother Arrested For Murder

A woman in India was arrested for allegedly killing her child after the body of her 5-year-old daughter was found floating in a pond.

The incident took place in the eastern state of Assam. Residents of No 2 Salguri village near Sibsagar were shocked to learn about the incident. The body of the child was spotted by the victim's aunt, who had gone to the pond in the early hours of Sunday to take a bath. Terrified by the sight, she immediately informed the police, Sentinel Assam reported.

According to a villager, the father of the child was sleeping when the body was found.

"We suspect that the mother picked the child up while the child was still sleeping and drowned her in the pond. The father is a daily laborer. We do not think he was even aware that his daughter has been killed," a villager said, Sentinel Assam reported.

The police arrived at the scene and found the mother's slippers by the side of the pond. However, the woman was nowhere to be found. The police later located her and took her into custody. During questioning, the unidentified woman confessed to killing the child.

The body of the child was sent for an autopsy while the police continued the investigation. Even though the exact motive of the murder was not revealed by the authorities, a local media outlet said the woman was having an extramarital affair [Google Translate showed].

The police said they have arrested one more suspect in the case. However, the identity of the other suspect was not revealed.

"Sensational murder case of one five year old baby of Joysagar cracked within 12 hours. Accused woman, the mother of baby and one more arrested. The woman has confessed her crime," Sivasagar police wrote on Twitter.

In yet another case of filicide in the country, the police retrieved the body of a newborn baby from a quarry pond last week. The child's mother allegedly killed the newborn by throwing the baby into the water in the city of Kochi in the southern state of Kerala. The matter came to light when the woman was hospitalized following post-delivery bleeding. After examining the woman, the doctors said she had recently given birth to a baby. However, since the baby was not with her, the hospital authorities informed the police.