CHENNAI: A day after a couple of Velachery lodged a complaint about their 35-day infant missing, police recovered the body and arrested the mother who allegedly murdered the child. The woman killed the child, as she developed unbearable pain during breast feeding, police said. Police said Venkanna (30) and his wife Uma (27) of Andhra Pradesh, who had migrated to Chennai looking for a job five years ago. 

Venkanna was employed at a supermarket, while the woman was working at a clothing store. On Saturday, the two lodged a complaint at Velachery police station, alleging that the infant who was sleeping with them went missing. As they had kept the door open for ventilation, someone could have stolen the baby, she said. Police grew suspicious as the woman gave contradictory statements. 

Preliminary investigation with a neighbour revealed that a woman, wearing a nightie, was carrying the child at 4 am. Police also got a hint that she appeared to be the infant’s mother. During enquiry, Uma is said to have told police that she killed the child as she was not able to breastfeed it. She took the sleeping child at 4 am on Saturday and threw it in Velachery lake. The child’s body was fished out, police said. Uma had been booked on charges of murder and was arrested.