Father held for murdering baby

MADURAI

: A man was arrested for strangling his seven-month-old baby to death in a fit of rage allegedly following a family dispute on Sunday.


The arrested was identified as B Ajithkumar, 21, a resident of Ammachipuram. He married A Pandiselvi 10 months ago and was living in Sappani Kovil Street in Sholavandan, with their baby. Police said the couple often quarrelled with each other and was the reason that led to the murder of the baby.

Police said the incident came to light on Sunday noon when Pandiselvi heard her baby scream. As she rushed to the terrace she found Ajithkumar strangling the baby. Panicked, Pandiselvi snatched the child and rushed to a nearby hospital. However, doctors said that baby was brought dead.

On being informed, her relatives arrived at the hospital and then lodged a murder complaint with the police. The complaint stated Ajithkumar’s friend R Thavamani took the child, which was playing in the house, to the terrace where it was killed by her husband.

Though police arrested Thavamani in connection with the murder, as he took the baby to terrace, he pleaded innocence saying he did not have any idea about Ajithkumar’s motives.

Ajithkumar, a mason by profession, and Pandiselvi were related and had been in a relationship for two years before their marriage. When Pandiselvi became pregnant, their parents were forced to arrange their marriage. Police said Pandiselvi was seven-month pregnant when she married him.

However, their life after marriage did not go smoothly as expected, with the couple often getting into heated argument over petty issues. Police said Ajithkumar killed his son in a fit of rage after a dispute with wife.