Grandmother Kills 20-Day-Old Granddaughter Because She Wanted a Boy

A grandmother strangled her 20-day-old granddaughter in Tikamgarh because she wanted a boy. She was arrested and sent to judicial custody.

A 20-day-old baby girl was allegedly strangled to death by her grandmother in Madhya Pradesh's Tikamgarh district as she wanted a boy, police said on Sunday.

The incident took place in Banne Buzurg village under Palera police station limits. The accused, Rekha, 60, has been arrested and sent to judicial custody.

According to police, the baby's father, Dhaniram, works as a labourer in Delhi, while his wife Pukkhan had been staying at her in-laws' house during pregnancy. She gave birth to a girl 20 days ago. Police said the grandmother had been unhappy since the child's birth and allegedly taunted her daughter-in-law for not giving birth to a boy.

Mother Woke to Find Baby Unresponsive

Investigators said around 3 am, while the mother and infant were asleep, the accused picked up the baby, took her outside, and strangled her. She then placed the body back beside the sleeping mother.

When the mother woke and found the baby unresponsive, she raised an alarm. Family members gathered, and the grandmother tried to portray the death as natural while arranging local faith-healing rituals.

Police reached the spot and noticed marks around the infant's neck, raising suspicion. Sustained questioning of the mother and grandmother led to the truth.

Police said the accused was produced before a court, which remanded her to judicial custody. A murder case has been registered and investigation is underway.