Zeenews Bureau
Bangalore: In a tragic development, three-month-old baby Afreen - who was battling for life at a government hospital here after being allegedly tortured by her father - passed away on Wednesday.
Afreen had convulsions at 10.00 am and suffered a cardiac arrest at 10.40 am, Dr Some Gowda, Resident Medical Superintendent of Vani Vilas Hospital, said.
The baby was in a semi-comatose state after her condition deteriorated today following two convulsions last evening.
Afreen, who was on life support system, had hurried respiration of 30-40 per minute against the normal 20-25 and also Pathycardia (increased heart rate), Gowda said.
Hospital authorities said Afreen was getting convulsions and bleeding which aggravated the cardiac arrest, leading to the baby's death at 11.10 AM.
The baby was admitted to the hospital on Sunday in the intensive care unit. She had cigarette burns on her head and a dislocated neck.
Umar Farook, father of Afreen, has confessed to police that he tried to kill the child because he wanted a boy and not a girl. He is under arrest and judicial custody till April 21.
He was arrested on April 8 on a complaint by Afreen's mother Reshma Bhanu (19), who allegedly witnessed the abuse and wants the hardest punishment for him.
The 25-year-old father also confessed to having attempted to murder her on earlier occasions, as per police.
Reshma had accused her husband of causing the injuries and said both herself and the child suffered abuse in his hands in the past three months.
Meanwhile, a case of murder will be filed against the father of baby Afreen for allegedly abusing and battering his daughter to death, police said.
Last month, in a similar case, two-year-old battered baby girl Falak had lost her battle for life, succumbing to a cardiac arrest on March 15.
Baby Falak was brought to AIIMS on January 18 in a severely battered state by a girl who falsely claimed to be her mother. With head injuries and human bite marks all over her body along with a broken arm and cheeks branded with hot iron, she was hospitalised in AIIMS trauma centre.
During the entire course of treatment spanning 58 days, Baby Falak displayed immense courage bearing all the harsh medical surgeries, earning the sobriquet of “miracle baby”.
She was fighting with blood, chest and brain infections for which she underwent six surgeries and was also put on ventilator.
First Published: Wednesday, April 11, 2012, 11:44