A 16-day-old girl was found dead behind her residence in Sion on Tuesday evening.
According to the Sion police, the girl, who had not been formally named, but was called Ashi by her parents, used to stay with her parents Nadeem (30) and Shama Ansari (25) in Sundar Kamla Nagar, next to King’s Circle railway station.
Ashi’s parents told the police that she went missing when Ms. Ansari went for a bath on Tuesday afternoon. “Ms. Ansari, in her statement, said she had placed Ashi in the living room, as her mother-in-law and sister-in-law were constantly coming and going from the house at the time. Around 15 minutes later, when she came out of the bathroom, she saw that the living room was empty, with Ashi nowhere to be seen,” an officer at Sion police station said.
Ms. Ansari started searching for Ashi along with several members of her family, and also informed the Sion police. A police team was sent to the locality, while a search party comprising over 50 locals was also put together.
“On Tuesday evening, some labourers on a repairing job at a house close to the Ansari residence spotted a bundle of clothes in a sewage drain that runs behind their house. One of them went over to check and saw Ashi lying lifeless wrapped in a blanket, after which he alerted residents,” the officer said.
The residents informed Mr. Ansari about the development and the couple rushed to the spot, after which they recognised their daughter. She was rushed to Sion Hospital where she was declared dead before admission. The Sion police initiated inquiries.
“We have for the moment registered a case of kidnapping against unknown persons,” senior police inspector Lalita Gaikwad, Sion police station, said.
An officer who is part of the investigation said preliminary medical examination has detected injuries, which is believed to be the cause of death. A post-mortem report is awaited.
“Investigations into the possibility of murder are being conducted. Whoever was behind it has to be either part of the family or someone with easy and regular access to the house. We are probing to find out whether the family had any enemies, which could lead us to a possible motive,” the officer said.