5-month-old boy's body found in water-filled drum in Maharashtra, mother charged for murder

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Thane: A day after the body of a 5-month-old boy was found in a water-filled drum in Kalwa in Thane district, police Sunday (December 26) arrested the infant's mother and charged her with murder and disappearance of evidence, an official said.

Shrikant Shankar Chavan's kin had told police he was kidnapped on Friday (December 24) afternoon from their Mahatma Phule Nagar home, after which Kalwa police formed several teams to crack the case. However, on Saturday (December 25) morning, the infant's body was found in a water-filled plastic drum near his home.

"We checked the CCTV footage of the area and questioned people, including the child's kin. We got a tip off the child used to fall ill frequently and it was his mother Shantabai Chavan who used to give him medicines. However, on Friday she accidentally gave him a high dose, which left the child dead," Assistant Commissioner of Police Venkat Andale told PTI.

"She cooked up a story about the child being kidnapped on Friday afternoon and then put in inside the water-filled drum on Saturday morning. She has confessed to the crime. Kalwa police are probing further," the ACP said.