Punjab: Couple booked for killing 9-month old toddler

PATIALA: The Patran police here registered a case under sections of murder against the a couple on the allegations of killing a nine months old child who was allegedly strangulated and dumped into the Bhakhra canal.
The accused woman Manisha, 22, is mother of the child while another accused Harwinder Singh, 37, is step-father. The woman hails from Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh.
Police said the matter came to light when Harwinder's neighbour Vicky Singh informed police about the crime.
SHO Patran police station Ranbir Singh claimed that both the accused have been arrested after they confessed of committing the crime.
The police added that after the complainant informed about the missing of a child the accused were rounded up and when interrogated they confessed to having killed him.
The police revealed that the woman had abandoned her first husband and married to the accused Harwinder, a driver. She came into his contact over the phone and they both planned to get married in June this year. Police revealed that the child was out of a woman’s first marriage and the accused Harwinder did not want the child.
The police further claimed that complainant was a neighbour to the accused. The complainant told the police that the accused introduced to him the child a few days ago and had then claimed that he would kill this child.
"The couple confessed that they strangulated the child with a piece of cloth on June 24 and dumped his body in Bhakhra main line canal at Khanauri," said the police while adding that the body of the child was yet to be recovered.
The Station house officer claimed that the case has been registered against both the accused under sections 302 (murder) and 201 (destruction of evidence) of IPC act.