Bhagalpur: A 30-year-old man allegedly strangulated his two-month-old son to death in a fit of rage over marital discord early Thursday in Gangapur locality, Sultanganj, Bhagalpur district. The police have launched a manhunt for the accused – identified as Raja Shah – who has been absconding since the incident.
According to the police, Shah suspected his wife of infidelity, which led to the infant's murder. The couple got married in 2019 and had three children, including the victim, police said, adding, "Shah suspected that the infant wasn't his child and it was born out of an illegitimate relationship of his wife, Rubi Kumari (25), with her paramour, Roshan Kumar, in a nearby locality of the village."
On Friday, SHO (in-charge) Sanjay Kumar Mandal said that the couple used to frequently quarrel in the recent past and on the fateful night, the accused strangulated the two-month victim to death in a fit of rage. "At the time of the incident, the two other children and other family members were fast asleep inside the house," he added.
"After the murder, Kumari informed her parents in Olapur village, Pirpainty, Kahalgaon subdivision, about the incident," the SHO said. "Her parents lodged a complaint in the Sultanganj police station."
An FSL team reached the spot to gather evidence, while the police seized the infant's body and sent it for postmortem at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital (JLNMCH).
"A manhunt has been launched to arrest Shah. We are also looking into various allegations of physical assault on Kumari and dowry demand," Mandal said. "Besides, the police are also investigating accusations on Shah, who used to eke out a living by running a private van as a taxi, and was a drug addict who had sold his wife's jewellery to fulfil his addiction habits."
Bhagalpur SSP Anand Kumar stated in a press communiqué that the accused would be arrested soon.