Woman Strangles Newborn Daughter To Death In Hospital, 4 Hours After Giving Birth

A woman killed her newborn daughter, hours after giving birth to the girl. The incident took place at a hospital in the western Indian state of Gujarat on Saturday.

Speaking to local media Tuesday, police said the woman gave birth to the child around 4 in the afternoon. Four hours later, the husband of the unidentified woman approached the doctor and said his wife was finding it difficult to breastfeed the baby.

The doctor examined the baby and declared her dead. An autopsy was conducted Sunday, the results of which indicated that the newborn was strangled to death. The report also said there were marks on the baby’s face and neck. Investigation was ongoing to find out the reason behind the crime. Meanwhile, police said the couple already had three daughters.

"A case under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against the woman, and an arrest will be made after gathering more conclusive evidence," police said.

The incident comes a month after a woman in the Indian state of Maharashtra flung her newborn to death from the 17th floor of a building. Residents of the apartment complex alerted the police after finding the baby dead. Investigation revealed the woman had delivered the girl in the bathroom before throwing her from the window a few minutes later.

“The accused told us that she suspected that the husband was having an affair and was not giving money to take care of expenses and so she was struggling to take care of their two children,” police said, adding that a case of murder was registered against the unidentified accused.