Thane: Police arrest Mumbra couple for murder of their toddler

The Mumbra police have arrested a couple for killing their 18monthold 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 murderDuring 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 reportThe police said the accused who were arrested on Wednesday have been identified as Jahid Shaikh 38 and Noorani Jahid Shaikh 28 ldquoBoth were arrested and produced in court They are remanded in police custody till April 15rdquo said a police officerAccording 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 injuryldquoThe 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 murderedrdquo said a police officerThe police then found that an 18monthold girl was buried at the cemetery in Mumbra The police identified the child as Labiba Shaikh ldquoIt was found that the deceased was buried on March 18 at Kausa Sunni Kabrastan A death certificate was attached with the samerdquo said a police officerThe 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 injuryThe 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 survivedThe 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 deathThe Mumbra police have registered a case under section 201 302 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code ldquoWe have arrested the parents and are conducting investigations The reason behind the murder is not yet clear and we are investigating from all anglesrdquo Sanjay Davane police inspector Mumbra police stationMar 18Date of burial