Thane: Police arrest Mumbra couple for murder of their toddler

The body of 18-month-old Labiba Shaikh was exhumed and sent for autopsy. Pic/Rajesh Gupta

The Mumbra police have arrested a couple for killing their 18-month-old daughter. The toddler was attacked with a sharp weapon on her head and suffered serious injuries. The Mumbra police are yet to establish the reason behind the murder.

During the investigation the police found that the toddler was buried in a Muslim cemetery at Mumbra. The police have exhumed the body and have sent it for post mortem to JJ Hospital and are awaiting the report.

The police said the accused, who were arrested on Wednesday, have been identified as Jahid Shaikh, 38 and Noorani Jahid Shaikh, 28. "Both were arrested and produced in court. They are remanded in police custody till April 15," said a police officer.

According to the police, in the first week of April the Deputy Commissioner of Police and Human Rights Commission received a letter from one Santosh Mahadev who sought a police probe in the mysterious death of a child. Attached to the letter were images of the deceased toddler with a grievous head injury.

"The mobile number on the letter was found to be switched off. The address mentioned in the letter was also found to be a fake. However, the Mumbra police started to search the cemeteries and hospitals in Mumbra to trace the child that had been probably murdered," said a police officer.

The police then found that an 18-month-old girl was buried at the cemetery in Mumbra. The police identified the child as Labiba Shaikh. "It was found that the deceased was buried on March 18 at Kausa Sunni Kabrastan. A death certificate was attached with the same," said a police officer.

The trail of the death certificate led the police to more than one doctor where the Shaikh couple had taken the child to treat her head injury. Doctors at one hospital which had turned away the Shaikh couple with their injured child told the police that the parents were not able to tell them how the child received such a serious injury.

The doctors were not convinced when parents apparently claimed that their child had received superficial injury to her skin. During investigation, a source told the police that Labiba was the fifth child of the Shaikh couple and in the past another girl child elder to Labiba had also suffered similar head injury, but she had survived.

The police detained the parents for questioning and as there was discrepancy in the information given by them and the doctors. The police arrested the Shaikh couple and booked them for murder. Last week, the police had the body exhumed from the crematorium and sent it for autopsy. Preliminary examination of the body revealed that Labiba was hit with a sharp weapon on her head which may have caused her death.

The Mumbra police have registered a case under section 201, 302 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code. "We have arrested the parents and are conducting investigations. The reason behind the murder is not yet clear and we are investigating from all angles," Sanjay Davane, police inspector, Mumbra police station.

Mar 18
Date of burial