Delhi: Teen apprehended for ‘drowning baby in water tank’

The incident took place on Tuesday evening when the infant’s mother stepped out to buy groceries. The infant and her two other children, aged 4 and 2, were at home. When she returned, her youngest child was missing.

The family said they looked everywhere but couldn’t find him.

The child’s uncle said: “His parents called me and we all started searching. His father then found the baby in the water tank on the terrace. We were all shocked and contacted the police.”

The infant was rushed to a hospital but was declared dead on arrival. “Everyone in the locality loved him and would buy him gifts,” the uncle said.

DCP (East) Priyanka Kashyap said, “The family lives on the second floor of the apartment building. The mother had locked the room (where the children were sleeping) from the outside before leaving. When she came back, it was still locked…”

During investigation, police found video footage of a boy leaving the house at the time of the incident. “Based on enquiry and evidence recovered, we apprehended the juvenile. He told us he felt humiliated and was angry because the infant’s mother had scolded him for playing on the streets and making noise… He wanted to take revenge and decided to target the youngest child. On Tuesday, he noticed that the child’s mother had stepped out. He entered their house and saw the three children sleeping. After allegedly committing the crime, he locked the room and fled,” said an officer.

DCP Kashyap said the teen has been booked for murder and hiding evidence.

The infant’s family said the mother is in shock and refuses to eat. “She had only left her children alone because they were all sleeping,” said the uncle.

The body was returned to the family after an autopsy and the last rites were carried out on Thursday.