Thane court acquits woman accused of killing 5-month-old son

Thane: A Thane court has acquitted a woman accused of murdering her five-month-old son by drowning him in a water drum in 2021, noting there was no material to infer that she committed the crime.

Principal District and Sessions Judge, Thane, S B Agrawal, in the order on January 20, pronounced the 36-year-old woman as not guilty, giving her the benefit of doubt.

A copy of the order was made available on Monday.

The prosecution told the court that on December 24, 2021, the woman allegedly threw her infant son into a water-filled drum near her residence at Saiba Nagar in Kalwa area of Maharashtra's Thane district, leading to the child's death.

She later approached the police and reported that her son had gone missing from a hammock where she put him to sleep.

The woman claimed that an unknown person had abducted the child, following which the police registered a case of kidnapping.

During the investigation, the police checked the area's CCTV footage in which two unidentified women were seen roaming in the locality around the time of the incident.

The footage, however, did not capture any visuals of the women taking away the child, leading to a doubt about their involvement in the case.

The Kalwa police received information the next morning about the infant's body having been inside a water drum outside the house of the woman's neighbour.

The autopsy report confirmed drowning as the cause of the child's death.

The court noted there was no direct or circumstantial evidence linking the accused to the crime.

None of the witnesses provided testimony that conclusively pointed towards her guilt, it said.

The woman's father-in-law, who testified as a prosecution witness, stated that the accused had actively searched for the child and raised suspicion about the two unidentified women.

The court noted that forensic evidence, including the victim's blood sample, was not suitable for testing. No viscera report was presented to the court, it added.

"Absolutely no material to infer that the accused had committed the alleged offence," the judge said, adding the prosecution failed to establish any circumstances indicating her involvement.

"There does not appear any credible material to suggest that the accused was responsible for the murder of the child. In fact, none of the circumstances that alleges or indicates towards the accused has been made out," the judge said.

Accordingly, the court acquitted the woman of the charges of murder and causing disappearance of the evidence.