Denied ‘gifts’, trans person buries three-month-old alive

The accused buried the baby on the sea shore because her parents refused to give them a saree and Rs 1,100

Two people from south Mumbai, a transgender person and his friend, buried a three-month-old girl alive on the sea shore after a fight with her parents, Cuffe Parade police said on Friday. They both have been arrested and charged for murder.

Officers said the child went missing around 2 am on Friday, following which the family rushed to the police station. Police registered a case under Section 363 (kidnapping) of the IPC and talked to the family members.

The parents told officers that the transgender person, Kanhaiya Chougule, 30, had come to their house on Thursday evening after learning that they had a child and asked for gifts.

The girl's grandmother, Indubai Chitkute, said she offered Rs 200, but Chougule asked for Rs 1,100, a saree and a coconut. When she refused, a verbal fight broke out, but later Chougule left. "Around 2 am, a cat came inside the house and dropped a pot, waking us up. We then noticed that our baby girl was missing," Indubai told media persons.

After getting the information, police traced Chougule who told them that he and his friend Sonu Kala, 22, had kidnapped the girl and killed her. Chougule told the police that the family had abused him. Later, seeing him upset, Sonu came to check on him and they both decided to take revenge.

Indubai said, "Our baby girl was just three months old. We all lovingly called her Arya, as she was not officially named."

Rajkumar Dongre, senior inspector, Cuffe Parade police station, told mid-day that both Chougule and the girl's family live in Ambedkar Nagar. "We had initially registered a case of kidnapping. After the investigation, we have added Sections 302 (murder) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC in the case."